LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UN!VERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Class 


POULTRY 
ARCHITECTURE 


A  Practical  Guide 

for    Construction 

of  Poultry  Houses^ 

Coops  and  Yards 


ONE     HUNDRED    ILLUSTRATIONS 


Compiled  by 

GKORGK    B.    FISKE 


New  York 
O  R  A  X  (1  K      J  U  I)  1)      COMPANY 

1907 


\ 

TY    \ 


Copyright  1QO2 

~by 
Orange   fudct  Company 


CONTENTS 


Introduction 

CHAPTER    I 

LOCATION    AND    METHODS 

Foundations  and  walls — Glass  in  cold  weather — Roosts,  etc — • 
Troughs — Fountains — Notes. 

CHAPTER   II 

LOW-COST     HOUSES 

Poultry  house  of  G.  R  France — Convenient  house — Cheap  and 
labor-saving — A  handy  hennery — A  house  for  layers — 
Cheap  houses  and  shelters. 

CHAPTER    III 

BUILDINGS     FOR     COLONY     SYSTEM 

House  for  mild  climates — H.  H.  Stoddard's  poultry  house — 
Northern  colony  houses — Rhode  Island  colony  houses. 

CHAPTER    IV 

HOMES      FOR      FARM      POULTRY 

Grundy's  prize  house — Farmers'  poultry  house — Removable 
houses — WyckofFs  houses — Portable  coop — House  for 
Pacific  coast — House  for  south — House  with  cloth  run — 
Good  winter  houses — Maine  henhouse — Interior  plans. 


j  (•  o 

*i-  o  *-> 


JV  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   V 

BANK     AND   SOD     STRUCTURES 

A  Kansas  sod  house — A  Nebraska  plan — House  in  a  sand 
bank — Windproof  structures — A  house  of  logs — Bank  wall 
houses. 

CHAPTER    VI 

HIGH-GRADE     PLANTS 

Well-made  house  in  detail — A  business  poultry  plant — A  model 
house — Practical  poultry  home. 

CHAPTER  VII 

ADDITIONS     AND     EXTRAS 

Using  a  second  story—Adding  a  scratching  pen — Shelter  and 
lean-to — Protected  coop — Run  of  sash  and  straw — Cheap 
runs. 

CHAPTER    VIII 

FOR     INCUBATORS     AND     BROODERS 

A  brooder  plant — Improved  incubator  house — A  brooder  and 
growing  house — Brooder  boxes — Houses  for  separate 
brooders — Brooder  attachments. 

CHAPTER    IX 

SPECIAL     PURPOSE     BUILDINGS 

Cold  storage — Turkey  houses — Improved  duckhouses — Pigeon 
lofts — Combination  house. 

CHAPTER    X 

COOPS,     YARDS     AND     FENCES 

Glass  roof  coops — Hotbed  coops — Rat-proof — Cool  runs — Ten- 
cent  coops — Orchard  chicken  coop — Fattening  pens — Sum- 
mer and  fall  shelter — Movable  yards — Hen-tight  fence. 


LIST  OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIG.  PAGE 

i — Up  and  Down  and  Crosswise  Boarding     .  .         3 

2 — Sections  of  Foundations  and  Wall  ...         4 

3— Sash  with  Double  Glass  ...  7 

4 — Window  for  Cold  Weather       .  .8 

5 — House  for  Mild  Climates 10 

6 — House  of  Mr  France         ......        12 

7 — Convenient  House.     End  View  and  Front  Elevation       13 

8 — Cheap  and  Labor-Saving.     Cross  Section         .          .       14 

9 — Cheap  and  Labor-Saving.     Ground  Floor          .          .        14 

10 — Handy    Hennery      .......        16 

II — House  for  Layers     .......        19 

12 — Ten-Dollar   Henhouse      ......       20 

13 — House    and     Shed   ...  ...       21 

14 — Interior  of  House  with  Shed  .....       21 

15— A  Small  House         ...  .22 

16 — Colony  House  for  Mild  Climates     ....       24 

17 — H.  H.  Stoddard's  Colony  House       ....       26 

18 — Northern  Colony  House  ...  -3° 
19 — Rhode  Island  Colony  House  .  •  32 
20 — Grundy's  Poultry  House  and  Yard  .  .  36 

21 — Farmers'  Poultry  House  .  .  •  3^ 
22 — House  Easily  Removed  ...  -4° 
23 — Interior  and  Details  ...  4[ 

24 — End  View  of  House  and  Details       .  43 

25 — Movable  Coop  45 

26 — An  Oregon  Plan  •  46 
27 — House  for  Warm  Climates  ...  48 

28 — House  for  One  Hundred  Fowls  .  •  5° 
29 — House  with  Cloth  Run  .  .  51 

30 — L-Shaped  House  with  Shed  .  -  52 
31 — Octagon  House  ...  -53 
32 — Good  Winter  House 54 


VI  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

FIG.  PAGK 

33 — Good  House  with  Interior  Fixtures  •         •         •       55 

34 — Interior  Contrivances 56 

35 — A  Maine  Henhouse 57 

36 — A  Prairie  Henhouse 60 

37 — Henhouse  of  Kansas  Farmer    .....       61 

38 — A  Nebraska  Sod  Hcruse  ......       62 

39 — House  in  a  Sand  Bank     ......       63 

40 — Windproof  Structure        ......       65 

41 — A  Log  Chicken  House     .  .66 

42— A  Bank  Wall  House 67 

43 — Interior  of  Bank  Wall  House   .....       67 

44 — Warm  and  Convenient  Building       ....       68 

45 — Well-Made    House.      Front    and    Rear    Elevations       71 
46 — Well-Made   House.     End   Elevation   and   Pen   Run       72 
47 — Interior  of  Well-Made  House  •          •         •          •       73 

48 — Section  Through  Pen       ......       74 

49 — Plan  Showing  Roosts       ......       75 

50 — Business  Poultry  House  .....       76 

51 — Front  Elevation  of  Model  House     ....       79 

52 — Ground  Plan  of  Model  House  ....       79 

53 — Side  View  and  Floor  System  ...  -79 

54 — Cross  Section  of  Model  House         ....       79 

55 — Practical  Poultry  House  .          .         .          .          .81 

56 — Runway  to  Second  Story  and  Upper  Room       .          .       82 
57 — House  with  Scratching  Shed     .....       83 

58 — Shelter  and  Lean-to          .  .  -84 

59 — Protected  Coop         .         .  .         .  .      -85 

60 — Run  of  Sash  and  Straw     ...  .86 

61 — Protected  Scratching  Sheds     .  -87 

62 — Plan  of  Duck  or  Brooder  Buildings          ...       89 
63 — Double  Roof  Incubator  House  .          .          .          .90 

64 — Banked  Incubator  Room  .....       91 

65 — Incubator  House  and  Tank       .....       92 

66 — Double  Brooder  House    ......       93 

67 — Combination  Brooder  Building         ....       94 

68 — Construction  of  Brooder  Box  .....       95 

69 — Pipe  Brooder  House        ......       96 

70 — Houses  for  Separate  Brooders  .  .  97 
71 — Oregon  Brooder  House  .  .  .98 
72 — Houses  for  Winter  Chicks 99 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS  Vll 

FIG.  1'AGK 

73 — Plan  for  Cold  Storage  House  for  Poultry         .         .     101 
74 — Buildings  for  Turkeys     ......     104 

75 — Improved  Duckhouse       ......     107 

76 — Duckhouse  and  Shed        .          .          .          .          .          .107 

77 — Pigeon  Loft  and  Interior  .....     108 

78 — House  for  Poultry  and  Pigeons         .          .          .          .109 

79 — Ground  Plan  for  Combination  House      .          .          .      109 

80 — Glass-Roofed  Coops no 

81 — Hotbed  Run  and  Coops  .         .  .     in 

82 — Rat-Proof  Coops  and  Run       .          .  .          .      112 

83 — Box  and  Barrel  Coops  .  .  .  .  .  •  115 
84 — Coops  from  Barrels  and  Crates  .  .  .  .116 
85— A-Shaped  Coops  .  .  .  117 

86 — A-Shaped  Coop  and  Frame  .  .  .  .  .117 
87 — Coop  from  a  Shoe  Box  .  .  .  1 18 

88 — A  Packing  Box  Coop 119 

89 — Brood  Coop  with  Run     ......     120 

90 — Light  Box  Coops     .......     120 

91 — Shelter  and  Portable  Coop 121 

92 — Colony  Shelter  Coop 122 

93 — Orchard  Coop 123 

94 — Fattening  Boxes       .....  .124 

95 — Coops  for  Sitting  Hens     ......     124 

96 — Shipping  and  Exhibition  Coops         .          .         .          .125 

97— Yards  for  Three  Flocks  .     125 

98 — Yards  for  Two  or  Four  Flocks         .  %        .          .          .     126 

99 — Movable  Poultry  Yard 127 

100 — Making  a  Fence  Chicken  Proof        .         .  .     128 


INTRODUCTION 


The  aim  of  this  book  is  to  give  designs  of  sufficient 
variety  to  suit  conditions  everywhere.  Few  requests 
come  more  often  to  the  office  of  a  poultry  editor  than 
those  asking  designs  and  directions  for  some  part 
of  a  poultry  plant.  The  number  and  variety  of  such 
requirements  is  surprising. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  very  diversity  of  conditions 
which  create  the  demand  has  also  developed  a  supply. 
A  multitude  of  houses  and  coops  of  differing  styles 
have  been  designed  by  ingenious  poultry  keepers  in 
accord  with  their  experience  and  to  meet  local  condi- 
tions. This  little  volume  aims  to  bring  together  these 
two  classes,  the  intending  builders  and  those  who  have 
already  built  successfully.  It  is  thought  that  the  one 
hundred  designs  of  such  wide  range  of  style,  cost  and 
adaptation  will  meet  all  requirements. 

Many  of  the  designs  originally  appeared  in  Ameri- 
can Agriculturist  weeklies  in  response  to  definite  re- 
quests. The  plans  are  carefully  selected  from  a  much 
larger  number,  and  only  those  are  given  which  are 
in  successful  use  and  which  are  adapted  to  the  needs 
of  practical  poultry  keepers ;  pretentious  or  overorna- 
mental  and  elaborate  affairs  having  been  excluded. 
Wherever  thought  necessary  or  desirable,  complete 
specifications  of  cost  and  construction  have  been  in- 
cluded, so  that  the  structures  may  be  put  up  by  anyone 
who  can  handle  sawr  and  hammer. 


/Xy5>m*  . 

/      •       OP-TIT 


CHAPTER   I 

LOCATION    AND    METHODS 

Poultry  can  be  made  to  do  well  almost  anywhere, 
just  as  cattle  are  made  profitable  on  many  farms  not 
especially  adapted  for  dairying.  Management  and 
system  of  housing  should  be  varied  to  suit  the  location. 

Some  good  paying  poultry  farms  are  on  stiff, 
heavy  clay  land,  where  water  collects  in  pools  after 
rain.  Others  just  as  profitable  are  on  rather  thin,  light 
soil.  Still,  it  is  generally  agreed  that  a  good,  free,  well 
drained  loam  has  certain  advantages.  The  soil  dries 
quickly  after  a  rain,  snow  melts  more  quickly,  it  warms 
rapidly  in  the  sun,  every  shower  purifies  it  by  carrying 
down  a  part  of  the  impurities.  On  wet,  heavy  soil  the 
fowls  should  have  very  wide  range  or  the  ground 
becomes  muddy  and  unwholesome.  Yet  such  land  is  a 
rich  storehouse  of  plant  food  and  affords  the  best  of 
grass  and  insect  diet  even  when  drouth  checks  all  fresh 
growth  on  other  land.  Heavy  land  is  best  suited  to 
the  colony  or  free  range  systems.  Some  of  the  largest 
and  most  profitable  farms  have  been  thus  located  and 
conducted,  and  the  fowls  maintained  in  perfect  health 
and  vigor. 

On  rather  poor  land  the  fowls  should  also  have 
wide  range  in  order  to  find  enough  wild  food.  Good 
pasturage  should  be  considered  as  important  as  for 
cattle. 

Rocky  land  is  seldom  made  the  location  of  large 
farms  for  poultry  culture,  since  frequent  cultivation 
and  cropping  is  a  part  of  most  systems.  Money  saved 


2  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

in  buying  rough  or  sandy  land  is  soon  lost  many  times 
over  in  decrease  of  net  returns.  If  one  may  choose, 
let  him  buy  good,  clear,  well  drained  loam,  with  a 
gradual  southern  slope  and  a  forest  protection  at  the 
north.  But,  as  said  before,  most  locations  can  be  made 
satisfactory  by  suitable  buildings  and  system  of  man- 
agement. 

The  site  of  permanent  buildings  should  be  well 
drained  naturally,  but  in  a  great  majority  of  cases  the 
conditions  will  be  improved  by  at  least  heaping  up  with 
a  horse  scraper  a  little  knoll  of  earth  about  the  same  in 
area  as  the  house.  Dryness  is  the  great  preventive  of 
disease  in  poultry,  and  is  even  more  important  than 
warmth.  A  dry  hen  will  stand  a  great  deal  of  cold 
weather  without  much  injury. 

Foundation  and  IV alls — It  pays  to  have  a  stone 
foundation  reaching  down  to  frost  line,  or  from  one  to 
three  feet  below  the  surface  and  rising  about  one  foot 
above  th^,  ground  level.  When  covered  with  earth,  a 
dry,  dusty  floor  is  ensured  all  winter,  and  rats  are  kept 
out  even  without  a  cement  covering  for  the  stone  floor. 
Anything  but  a  stone  foundation  is  likely  to  take  up 
more  or  less  moisture,  which  will  freeze  and  thaw, 
making  the  floor  hard  and  cold,  or  muddy,  neither  state 
being  suitable  for  scratching  and  for  dust  baths.  Floors 
below  ground  are  unsatisfactory  in  moist  climates 
Dampness  works  in,  spoils  the  scratching  floor,  stops 
laying  and  causes  lameness,  colds  and  bowel  trouble. 
If  the  floor,  however,  has  been  raised  by  a  rock  filling, 
the  outside  of  the  building  may  be  banked  with  earth  to 
good  advantage. 

Tight  Foundations — When  small  buildings  are 
erected  upon  the  farm,  there  is  a  temptation,  in  the 
interest  of  economy,  to  omit  the  tight  stone  foundation 
and  put  the  building  on  posts.  This  leaves  the  building 
open  beneath  and  permits  the  cold  winds  to  reduce  the 


LOCATION    AND    METHODS 


temperature.  A  plan  is  shown  in  the  cut,  Figure  i, 
which  obviates  this.  The  walls  are  boarded  up  and 
down,  using  matched  cedar  boards,  and  allowing  these 
to  extend  to  the  ground,  as  shown.  A  little  soil  is  then 
banked  up  against  the  lower  end,  which  is  grassed  over 
quickly,  making  a  tight  foundation  that  will  last  many 
years.  If  the  framing  is  made  to  use  crosswise  board- 
ing, put  on  the  latter  as  shown  at  right  of  Figure  i, 
using  a  wide  cedar  board  to  extend  from  the  sill  down 
to  the  ground,  and  bank  with  a  few  inches  of  earth  as 
before  mentioned.  The  building  can  then  be  shingled 
or  clapboarded. 


FIG   I  I       UI'  A  XI)  DOWN   A  XI)  CROSSWISE  UOARDIXG 

In  placing  a  house,  let  it  face  the  south  or  as  nearly 
so  as  possible.  It  is  cooler  in  summer  and  warmer  in 
winter  than  one  facing  either  east  or  west.  The  sun 
in  summer  during  the  hottest  part  of  the  day  is  nearly 
directly  overhead  and  does  not  shine  in  so  strongly  in 
a  south  window.  In  winter,  when  low  in  the  heavens, 
the  south  window  catches  more  of  the  sun's  rays. 

A  Poultry  House  Floor  of  cement  may  well  be  pat- 
terned after  the  plan  shown  at  left  of  Figure  2.  The 
foundation  is  of  loose  stones  to  give  drainage.  The 
stones  above  are  cemented.  A  layer  of  small  stones 
beneath  the  cement  serves  as  drainage.  The  sills  of  the 
house  are  bedded  in  cement  to  keep  out  vermin.  This 
plan  gives  an  exceedingly  warm  house,  and  the  cement 
floor  will  keep  out  all  rats  and  poultry  enemies.  A 


4  POULTRY    ARCHITECTURE 

cement  floor  is  a  cold  affair  in  winter  unless  covered 
with  plenty  of  dust  and  litter. 

A  Very  Warm  Wall  designed  by  G.  C.  Watson  of 
the  Pennsylvania  experiment  station  is  double  on  all 
sides  and  practically  air  tight,  with  a  two-inch  air  space 
between  the  walls.  A  section  plan  is  shown  at  right 
of  Figure  2.  A  two  by  three  scantling  set  edgewise 
forms  the  plate,  and  to  this  the  boards  of  the  side  walls 
are  nailed.  These  boards  may  be  of  rough  lumber  if 
economy  in  building  is  desired.  If  so,  the  inner  board- 
ing should  be  nailed  on  first  and  covered  with  tarred 
building  paper  on  the  side  that  will  come  within  the 


FIG  2  :       SECTIONS  OF  FOUNDATIONS  AND  WALL 

hollow  wall  when  the  building  is  completed.  This 
building  paper  is  to  be  held  in  place  with  laths  or  strips 
of  thin  boards.  If  only  small  nails  or  tacks  are  used, 
the  paper  will  tear  around  the  nail  heads  when  damp 
and  will  not  stay  in  place. 

The  cracks  between  the  boards  of  the  outside 
boarding  may  be  covered  with  inexpensive  battens  if 
they  are  nailed  at  frequent  intervals  with  small  nails. 
Ordinary  building  lath  will  answer  this  purpose  ad- 
mirably, and  will  last  many  years,  although  they  are 
not  so  durable  as  heavier  and  more  expensive  strips. 
The  tarred  paper  on  the  inside  boarding  and  the  battens 
on  the  outside  make  two  walls,  each  impervious  to 


LOCATION     AND     M  KTILODS  5 

wind,  with  an  air  space  between  them.  Common  build- 
ing paper  may  be  used  or  stout  paper  of  any  kind. 

It  has  been  left  for  the  West  Virginia  experiment 
station  to  determine  just  how  much  difference  there 
would  be  in  egg  production  between  similar  flocks  kept 
in  warm  and  cold  houses.  Two  houses,  built  exactly 
alike  and  situated  side  by  side,  were  selected  for  the 
experiment,  in  each  of  which  were  placed  twelve  pul- 
lets. One  house  had  previously  been  sheathed  on  the 
inside  and  covered  with  paper  to  make  it  perfectly 
tight.  Both  were  boarded  with  matched  siding  and 
shingle  roofs. 

The  fowls  were  fed  alike  in  each  case.  The  morn- 
ing mash  consisted  of  corn  meal,  ground  middlings 
and  ground  oats,  and  at  night  whole  grain  was  scat- 
tered in  the  litter.  They  also  had  fresh  water,  grit  and 
bone  and  granulated  bone.  The  experiment  started 
November  24  and  continued  for  five  months.  The  fol- 
lowing table  shows  the  number  of  eggs  laid  during  each 
period  of  thirty  days  : 

RESULTS    FROM    COLD    AND    WARM    HOUSES 

12345  Total 
Warm  house  ....  87  130  138  120  154  629 
Cold  house 39  106  103  124  114  486 

The  experiment  clearly  indicates  that  it  is  impor- 
tant to  build  warm  and  substantial  houses  for  winter 
egg  production. 

In  very  cold  climates  special  pains  should  be  taken 
to  make  the  roosting  place  warm.  Combs  are  usually 
frozen  during  the  night.  Double  walls  battened  with 
lath  outside  and  lined  with  building  paper  make  a 
warm  roost  room.  With  single-wall  houses,  double 
boarding  on  the  north  side  is  a  protection.  An  outside 
shield  of  corn  stalks  or  hay  and  litter  is  also  effective. 


6  POULTRY    ARCHITECTURE 

Costly  material  is  not  needed  for  the  poultry  house. 
Often  a  discarded  barn  or  other  building  can  be  bought 
cheap  and  the  sound  lumber  used  again.  Others  on 
farms  can  work  up  home  grown  timber.  For  city 
poulterers,  large  packing  boxes  bought  at  dry  goods 
stores  are  a  cheap  source  of  lumber.  Sometimes  old 
street  cars  have  been  bought  for  a  trifle  and  remodeled. 
Serviceable  houses  have  been  made  from  staves  of  old 
barrels  as  an  outside  covering.  Old  strips  of  carpet, 
oilcloth,  wall  paper  or  building  paper  may  be  utilized 
to  some  extent  as  mside  protection. 

A  coat  of  home-mixed  paint  improves  the  durabil- 
ity and  appearance  of  a  house  enough  to  pay  for  its  cost. 
Whitewash  is  much  better  than  nothing,  and  will  add 
years  to  the  life  of  second-hand  lumber. 

Shingles  properly  applied  to  a  roof  of  fairly  steep 
pitch  are  the  best  and  warmest  roofing,  but  a  strip  of 
building  paper  should  be  laid  beneath  to  keep  out  cur- 
rents of  cold  air  which  work  in  between  the  shingles. 
Tin  or  iron  is  sometimes  cheaper  than  wood,  and  for 
temporary  structures,  felting  paper  with  a  coat  of  paint 
will  last  about  two  years.  An  advantage  of  sheet  mate- 
rials for  roofing  is  that  a  steep  pitch  is  not  needed  to 
carry  off  the  water,  but  such  materials  are  cold  in 
winter  and  hard  to  repair  when  damaged. 

Glass  in  Cold  }Vcathcr — Amateur  builders  com- 
monly use  too  much  glass,  which  makes  a  house  un- 
naturally warm  on  sunny  days,  but  extremely  and 
dangerously  cold  by  night  and  on  stormy  days.  One 
window  not  over  three  feet  square  and  about  eighteen 
inches  above  the  floor  to  each  ten  feet  of  house  length 
is  enough.  Warmth  is  much  increased  by  a  shutter  or 
curtain  for  night.  Windows  should  be  arranged  to 
slide  to  oii€  side  or  be  easily  taken  out  during  hot 
weather. 


LOCATION     AND     METHODS 


Double  windows  are  sometimes  used,  but  these  are 
expensive,  somewhat  of  a  bother  to  put  on  and  hard  to 
keep  clean. 

The  cut,  Figure  3,  shows  a  single  sash,  double 
glazed,  which  a  poultryman  has  recently  described. 
The  sash  is  made  so  that  the  glass  can  be  set  on  both 
sides  of  the  wooden  bars,  leaving  a  half  inch  or  more 
of  space  between.  This  gives  a  double  window  and 
the  cost  is  said  to  be  not  more  than  twenty-five  cents 
extra  per  sash  for  the  glass  and  the  labor  of  setting. 
Those  who  are  providing  windows  for  new  or  re- 


FIG    3  :       SASH     WITH    DOUBLE    GLASS 

modeled  poultry  houses  will  do  well  to  experiment  with 
this  plan.  The  glazing  must  be  tight  and  carefully  done 
to  keep  out  all  dirt  and  dust  from  the  inner  surfaces 
of  the  glass.  Figure  4  shows  a  window  partly 
double,  making  a  convenient  arrangement  for  ventilat- 
ing without  draft,  and  securing  greater  warmth  at 
night  and  on  cloudy  days. 

Roosts,  Nests,  Troughs,  Fountains,  etc,  will  not  be 
treated  at  length  in  this  volume.     Roosts  should  be  all 


8  POULTRY    ARCHITECTURE 

on  a  level,  should  be  about  two  inches  thick,  rounded 
on  the  upper  side,  not  over  two  feet  from  the  floor,  and 
removable. 

Troughs  and  Drinking  Places  should  be  protected 
by  slats.  Nests  should  be  numerous,  secluded  and 
easily  removed.  Beware  of  too  complicated  inside 
arrangements  when  large  numbers  of  fowls  are  kept 
for  profit.  Successful  large  farms  are  nearly  always 


FIG    4:       WINDOW     FOR    COLD    WEATHER 

conducted  on  very  simple  plans,  but  with  emphasis 
placed  on  the  main  needs  of  the  fowls. 

Notes — Dryness  and  warmth  are  the  two  main 
essentials  in  most  climates. 

Everything  inside  should  be  removable,  also 
doors  and  windows. 

The  house  should  be  made  tight  enough  feo  hold 
smoke  when  fumigated. 


LOCATION    AND    METHODS  <j 

Cost  ranges  from  twenty-five  cents  to  five  dollars 
per  fowl.  A  reasonably  good  business  house  may  be 
built  at  one  dollar  per  head. 

When  building  an  all-around  house,  provide  for 
summer  as  well  as  for  winter. 

Rather  than  extend  beyond  seventy-five  feet,  better 
start  a  new  building. 

Study  actual  needs  of  fowls  rather  than  comfort 
of  the  attendant. 


CHAPTER  II 


LOW-COST     HOUSES 

Buildings  fairly  comfortable  and  lasting  can  be 
erected  at  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar  per  fowl.  Where 
old  material  is  used,  very  little  money  need  be  paid  out. 
The  plans  of  the  low-cost  structures  are  so  simple  that 
almost  anyone  may  do  the  work.  Some  of  them  can 
be  made  for  about  one  dollar  per  running  foot,  includ- 
ing labor.  The  number  of  fowls  accommodated  by  any 
house  varies  with  the  breed,  the  climate,  the  size  of 


FIG   5  I       HOUSE    FOR    MILD    CLIMATES 

outside  run,  and  the  care  given.  Expert  poultry  men 
can  obtain  good  results  from  crowded  pens.  For  aver- 
age conditions  allow  ten  to  twenty  square  feet  of  floor 
surface  per  fowl. 

In  regions  where  the  snow  does  not  cover  the 
ground  too  deeply,  a  cheap,  low  structure  can  be  built 
after  the  plan  shown  in  Figure  5,  that  will  answer  the 
purpose  very  well.  Stakes  are  driven  into  the  ground 


LOW-COST    HOUSES  II 

and  rough  boards  nailed  to  these  to  a  hight  of  three 
feet  in  front  and  two  feet  in  the  rear,  leaving  spaces 
for  low,  wide  sash  in  front.  A  long  and  a  short  roof 
is  put  on,  with  roof  doors  in  the  front,  short  roof. 
These  are  made  with  overlapping  edges  to  secure  tight- 
ness against  the  wind  and  rain.  The  attendant  stands 
outside  and  through  these  roof  doors  cares  for  the 
fowls,  securing  the  eggs  from  nests  that  are  within 
reach,  putting  in  water  and  scattering  grain  in  the 
litter.  The  whole  structure  is  covered  with  tarred  or 
resin-sized  paper,  the  edges  being  securely  tacked  or 
battened  with  laths.  The  roof  is  covered  in  the 
same  way. 

Select  a  dry  location,  and  put  in  three  inches  of 
gravel  upon  the  ground  and  keep  a  thick  layer  of  chaff 
upon  that,  and  the  inmates  will  scratch  away  merrily 
for  grain  all  winter  long.  Make  the  building  any 
length  desired  and  part  off  with  boards — or  with  net- 
ting if  only  females  are  to  be  kept  in  the  pens — before 
the  roof  is  put  on.  Roosts  can  be  put  up  just  out  of 
the  fowls'  way  when  on  the  floor.  With  care  to  make 
the  roof  tight,  such  a  building,  while  it  costs  but  little, 
will  prove  very  satisfactory. 

This  Low  Cost  Building,  designed  by  G.  R.  France, 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  for  about  twenty-five 
hens,  could  also  be  built  in  duplicate  with  the  main 
alley  running  the  whole  length  of  the  connected  build- 
ings and  in  front  of  the  different  sections,  about 
twenty-five  hens  to  be  kept  in  each.  (Figure  6.) 

It  is  intended  to  be  built  of  rough  hemlock,  the 
price  of  which  is  based  at  ten  dollars  per  thousand 
feet.  It  could  be  made  of  mill  slabs  doubled,  with  a 
space  between,  packed  with  straw  and  battened  with 
slabs.  The  ground  space  is  filled  up  with  loose  stone 
thrown  in  until  on  a  level  with  the  bottom  of  the  sills, 
and  then  dirt  is  spread  over  the  stone  and  tamped  down 


12 


POULTRY    ARCHITECTURE 


hard.  This  filling  is  cheap  and  the  stone  allows  the 
moisture  to  go  through,  and  the  dirt  floor  is  always 
dry.  However,  if  a  board  floor  is  wanted,  add  one 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet  of  matched  hemlock 
flooring  at  fifteen  dollars  per  thousand  feet.  For  a 
partition,  in  place  of  netting  use  straight  poles  from 
the  forest,  for  cheapness.  Mr  France  had  the  sash,  and 
battened  his  roof  with  slabs,  but  still  was  very  careful 
to  make  it  warm,  and  it  cost  him  only  about  four 
dollars  for  material. 

Below  is  an  itemized  list  of  lumber  and  other  sup- 
plies :  Two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  of  ten-foot  inch 


FIG    6:       HOUSE    OF    MR    FRANCE 


boards  for  siding  (must  not  be  cut  to  waste)  ;  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-one  feet  of  fourteen-foot  boards  for 
roof  and  nests;  one  hundred  feet  battens  three  inches 
by  ten  feet ;  two  pieces  two  by  six  inches  by  fourteen 
feet,  and  two  pieces  two  by  six  inches  by  twelve  feet  for 
sills ;  eight  pieces  two  by  four  inches  by  fourteen  feet 
for  plates  and  cross-beams ;  four  pieces  one  by  six 
inches  by  twelve  feet  for  window  casing;  two  squares 
of  felt  roofing  at  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  square, 
including  nails  for  same ;  one  roll  building  paper,  five 
hundred  square  feet,  sixty  cents ;  netting  six  by  sixteen 
feet,  seventy  cents ;  ten  pounds  nails,  thirty  cents ;  two 
pairs  strap  hinges,  thirty  cents  ;  four  half  sash,  two  dol- 


LOW -COST    HOUSES  13 

lars  and  fifty  cents.  Total  cost  of  lumber  and  supplies, 
fourteen  dollars  and  forty-five  cents.  Waste  material 
can  be  used  where  there  is  some  on  hand.  The  labor 
would  occupy  a  carpenter  with  one  man  to  help  about 
two  days. 

Convenient  House — Figure  7  shows  the  front  ele- 
vation and  end  view  of  a  poultry  house  that  has  some 
good  points.  The  arrangement  of  the  roosts,  /  / 
(which  are  made  movable  to  facilitate  cleaning  away 
the  droppings),  on  a  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
makes  it  convenient  to  get  at  them.  The  door  in  front 
of  the  nests,  g,  swings  up  so  as  to  gather  the  eggs,  the 


FIC,    7  :       CONVENIENT    HOUSE.       END    VIEW    AND    FRONT 
ELEVATION 


hens  entering  at  the  rear ;  h  is  the  ventilator,  which 
is  opened  and  shut  by  a  weight  and  cord ;  this  system 
of  ventilation  is  defective.  As  has  been  frequently  ex- 
plained, the  proper  way  to  ventilate  a  poultry  house 
is  by  means  of  a  shaft  running  from  within  a  few 
inches  of  the  floor  to  several  feet  above  the  roof.  Thus 
a  draft  is  created  that  draws  up  the  cold  air  and  bad 
odors  from  near  the  ground,  while  the  warm  air  at  the 
top  is  thus  brought  down  and  the  fowls  are  kept  much 
warmer  than  would  be  the  case  if  a  hole  in  the  roof 
let  out  all  the  warm  air.  The  space  underneath  the 
nests,  marked  e,  can  be  utilized  for  sitters  or  for 
storage. 


14  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

Cheap  and  Saves  Labor — The  accompanying 
illustrations,  Figures  8  and  9,  show  a  very  handy  and 
convenient  henhouse.  It  is  located  near  the  kitchen  and 
is  so  cleanly  that  the  women  of  the  house  can  run  in 
and  out  after  eggs  or  for  feeding  purposes.  It  is  built 


FIG   8l       CHEAP    AND    LABOR-SAVING.       CROSS    SECTION 

of  matched  siding,  running  up  and  down,  and  the  roof 
is  of  the  same  material,  with  tarred  paper  on  the 
inside.  All  the  inside  fixtures  are  movable,  and 
monthly  during  the  warm  weather  everything  is  taken 


^ 

•  ••••«••»•«*• 

_*feU-_. 

1-f     J 

•( 

__A 

f 

*         * 

•»                     «y* 

FIG    9:       CHEAP    AND    LABOR-SAVING.       GROUND    FLOOR 

out  and  the  whole  inside,  including  the  roof,  is  given 
a  shower  bath  of  lime  water  and  carbolic  acid,  applied 
with  a  spray  pump.  The  roost  poles  are  covered  \vith 


LOW -COST    HOUSES  15 

cloth,  which  is  occasionally  saturated  with  kerosene. 
Near  the  right,  as  seen  in  the  diagram,  Figure  8,  is  the 
entrance  door,  and  a  is  a  bin  four  feet  high  and  eighteen 
inches  wide,  running  the  whole  length  of  the  building, 
with  a  hinged  lid,  for  storing  droppings.  Above  this 
box  is  a  shelf,  b,  for  holding  feed,  shells,  gravel,  etc. 
At  the  left  of  the  door  is  a  tight  platform,  c,  one  foot 
beneath  the  roost  poles,  c,  for  catching  the  droppings. 
At  d  is  a  hinged  door  opening  on  a  level  with  the  plat- 
form, through  which  the  droppings  are  shoveled  once  a 
week  into  bin  a.  The  nest  boxes,  f,  are  one  foot  square 
and  fifteen  inches  high,  leaving  an  eight-inch  passage 
for  the  hens  to  enter  the  nests ;  a  small  crack  is  left 
at  the  top  in  the  back,  so  that  the  light  strikes  the  eight- 
inch  alley,  but  not  the  boxes.  Each  nest  is  a  separate 
box,  and  when  a  hen  becomes  broody  the  nest  box  is 
pulled  forward  close  to  the  drop  door,  thus  shutting  up 
the  alley  and  locking  biddy  on  her  nest.  As  the  nests 
are  all  alike,  it  makes  no  difference  which  nest  she 
chooses  to  brood  in — it  can  be  moved  to  the  end  and 
thus  does  not  obstruct  the  passage.  About  two  inches  of 
moist  sand  are  put  into  the  bottom  of  each  nest  before 
the  hen  is  set;  the  straw  nest  is  built  thereon  and  the 
eggs  are  given  her.  The  door,  g,  is  then  shut  down. 
Every  morning  the  hatching  hens  are  let  out  for  fifteen 
minutes  to  eat,  drink,  wallow,  etc,  after  which  they 
will  usually  take  their  own  nests ;  if  not,  they  can  be 
easily  changed.  The  eggs  can  be  gathered  through 
the  door,  g. 

At  /,  under  the  nest  boxes,  is  a  long  trough  with 
partitions  for  soft  feed,  water,  milk,  etc,  running  the 
whole  length  of  the  building.  The  space  between  this 
trough  and  d  in  Figure  9  is  slatted  up  with  common 
lath,  running  from  the  front  side  of  the  nests  to  the 
back  side  of  the  trough,  thus  leaving  the  trough  in  the 
alley  where  the  fowls  cannot  get  into  it — the  lath  being 


[6 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


far  enough  apart  to  allow  the  fowls  easy  access  to  the 
feed.  The  lath  are  nailed  to  narrow  strips  at  top  and 
bottom,  to  be  movable.  At  /  is  a  dust  bath  the  whole 
length  of  the  building  in  front  of  the  windows,  which 
face  the  south. 

In  Figure  9,  at  s,  is  an  oil  stove  which  is  used  when 
the  temperature  gets  too  low.  At  m  m  are  ventilators 
with  slides  to  gauge  them.  The  doors,  h  h,  are  for 
access  to  dust  baths,  etc,  and  n  n  are  windows.  Each 
of  the  two  apartments  will  accommodate  twenty-five 
fowls. 


FIG    IOI       HANDY    HENNERY 

A  Handy  Hennery — The  chief  objection  to  a  two- 
story  henhouse  is  the  inconvenience  of  going  upstairs, 
carrying  up  earth  and  cleaning  out  the  upper  story. 
But  all  the  annoyances  are  obviated  in  the  hennery 
shown,  Figure  10,  and  twice  the  amount  of  space  is 
secured  which  the  same  amount  of  roof  usually  covers. 
This  was  built  at  a  cost  of  ten  dollars  for  carpenter's 
work  and  twenty-eight  dollars  more  for  the  total  cost 
of  sash,  nails,  lumber,  etc.  As  the  perspective  shows, 
the  bank  wall  and  digging  required  some  labor.  The 
cut  shows  the  south  and  west  sides  of  the  house.  It  is 


LOW-COST    HOUSES  IJ 

fourteen  by  sixteen  feet  and  is  an  unusually  warm 
structure  considering  the  fact  that  it  is  not  lined.  The 
estimate  does  not  include  some  old  lumber  which  made 
the  roof  boards.  The  roofing  is  not  included.  The 
south  slope  to  the  roof  is  shingled.  This  covers  but 
one-third  the  area,  and  two  bundles  of  shingles  are 
sufficient.  Board  floors  are  used  only  in  the  second 
story.  On  the  ground  floor  the  earth  is  filled  in  to  the 
top  of  the  stone  underpinning.  It  remains  perfectly 
dry  in  the  wettest  weather  and  is  much  more  satis- 
factory than  board  or  cement  could  possibly  be.  The 
building  has  a  window  both  above  and  below  on  the 
east  side. 

The  sills  are  four  by  six  inches,  two  being  fourteen 
feet  and  two  sixteen  feet  long.  The  corner  posts  are 
four  by  four  inches  by  twelve  feet  long,  another  stick 
four  by  four  inches  and  ten  feet  long,  four  joists  three 
by  four  inches  and  sixteen  feet  long,  two  more*  of  the 
same  only  fourteen  feet  long,  nine  joists  for  the  floor 
two  by  five  inches  and  fourteen  feet  long,  eight  rafters 
two  by  four  inches  and  twelve  feet  long,  eight  more 
of  the  same  only  seven  feet  long.  This  made  in  round 
numbers  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  five  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  more  of  Georgia  pine  planed  on  one  side 
and  sixteen  feet  long  was  bought  at  a  cost  of  sixteen 
dollars  per  thousand.  Also  two  bundles  of  shingles 
at  one  dollar  per  bundle  and  ten  sashes  at  forty  cents 
each,  second  hand.  The  frame  timber  cost  eighteen 
dollars  per  thousand  feet.  Twenty  pounds  of  eight- 
penny  nails  and  ten  pounds  of  tens  were  bought  for 
seventy-five  cents,  five  pounds  of  spikes  twenty-five 
cents,  the  same  weight  of  six-inch  spikes  twenty-five 
cents,  seven  pounds  of  wire  nails  thirty-five  cents,  four 
pairs  of  hinges  thirty-two  cents  and  two  door  handles 
for  thirty-five  cents.  The  front  of  the  structure  is  made 
of  pine  which  cost  seventeen  dollars  per  thousand. 


9 


1 8  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

Only  one  Hundred  and  seventy  feet  were  used,  costing 
three  dollars.  The  pine  was  got  at  this  low  price,  being 
a  cheap  lot,  with  here  and  there  narrow  seams  of 
decayed  wood.  These  places  were  soaked  with  hot  lin- 
seed oil  as  soon  as  the  house  was  completed,  which 
will  stop  all  further  decay.  A  little  putty  will  fill  all 
the  seams  and  paint  will  hide  everything.  No  window 
frames  were  used,  the  sash  being  put  just  behind  the 
siding  and  arranged  to  slide  sidewise. 

The  partitions  run  north  and  south  upstairs  and 
down.  A  three-foot  hall  extends  along  the  north  side 
of  the  exposed  upper  story,  thus  adding  to  its  warmth. 
From  this  hall  doors  open  into  both  apartments.  The 
partitions  running  north  and  south  are  made  of  mov- 
able poultry  hurdles  that  can  be  used  out  of  doors  in 
summer  if  desired.  The  hens  like  these  deep  rooms, 
they  are  so  cool  in  summer,  and  afford  dark  retreats  at 
the  rear  for  skulking  away  to  lay.  Screens  have  been 
put  up  downstairs  to  increase  the  darkness  at  the  back. 
The  house  is  not  an  unsightly  one,  as  many  poultry 
houses  are.  It  is  to  be  painted  light  drab,  with  white 
about  the  doors  and  windows  to  represent  frames.  A 
quantity  of  pieces  of  boards  from  three  to  five  feet  long- 
were  left  after  cutting  the  sixteen-foot  boards.  These 
came  in  handy  for  flooring,  screens,  nest  boxes,  etc. 

A  House  for  Layers — It  is  sometimes  better  to 
have  a  number  of  small  houses  suitable  for  laying 
rather  than  have  roosting,  feeding  and  laying  accom- 
modations combined  under  one  roof,  as  is  so  often  the 
case.  Hens  soon  learn  where  the  comforts  for  laying 
are  to  be  found  and  seek  them,  giving  better  attention 
to  what  duties  they  have  to  perform  in  this  respect 
than  they  do  under  other  surroundings.  The  illustra- 
tion, Figure  n,  shows  a  cheaply  constructed  laying 
house,  to  be  built  any  size  the  builder  wishes  to  make  it. 
It  is  made  against  the  wall  of  another  building  with  a 


LOW-COST    HOUSES  HJ 

southern  aspect  or  shelter.  This  acts  to  advantage  to 
the  laying  quarters,  keeping  it  free  from  the  severe 
cutting  winds  and  snow  of  winter  and  damp  rains  of 
spring  time.  Nothing  but  nesting  compartments  are 
within  the  building  and  the  hens  know  what  is  to  be 
expected  of  them  upon  entering.  The  entrance  for  the 
hens  is,  as  will  be  noticed,  at  the  end  of  the  building. 
In  cold  weather  it  shuts  out  the  cold  that  leaving  a 
larger  opening  would  involve.  At  night  a  board  on  the 


FIG   II  :       HOUSE  FOR  LAYERS 

inside  should  shut  up  the  inclosure  to  keep  the  build- 
ing warm. 

A  Ten-Dollar  Henhouse — This  coop,  Figure  12, 
costs  ten  dollars  and  is  large  enough  for  a  dozen  fowls. 
The  coops  are  built  seven  by  ten  feet  of  boards  costing- 
six  dollars  per  thousand.  From  ground  to  eaves 
the  distance  or  the  length  of  the  boards  is  two  and  a 
half  feet.  The  roof  boards  are  five  feet  long  and  are 
covered  with  tarred  paper.  The  doorway  in  front  on 


20 


I'O U LTK V  ARC H ITECT URE 


the  south  side  is  twenty  inches  wide  by  five  feet  high. 
This  kind  of  coop  does  first  rate  for  summer  and  fairly 
well  for  winter  use. 

The  House  and  Shed  shown  in  the  illustration, 
Figure  13,  can  be  made  for  sixteen  to  twenty  dollars, 
and  will  answer  for  a  flock  of  thirty  fowls  of  average 
size.  If  more  fowls  are  kept,  not  over  thirty  should 
be  housed  together,  but  by  uniting  two  or  more  of  these 
small  houses  end  to  end,  with  continuous  walls  and 
roof,  the  accommodations  can  be  increased  to  any  ex- 
tent desired.  The  building  is  sixteen  feet  long  and 
ten  feet  wide,  and  is  similar  to  the  houses  used  by 


FIG   12:       TEN-DOLLAR  HENHOUSE 

Buffinton,  Hunter,  Shoemaker  and  other  practical  poul- 
trymen.  Half  the  space  is  occupied  by  an  open  scratch- 
ing shed,  which  should  have  a  curtain  of  oiled  cotton 
cloth  in  front  for  stormy  weather.  Figure  14  shows 
the  interior  plan,  which  needs  little  explanation.  A 
board  to  catch  droppings  is  placed  under  the  roosts, 
and  the  nest  boxes  are  often  kept  under  the  dropping 
board,  for  seclusion  and  economy  of  space.  By  making 
the  building  higher  a  passageway  for  the  attendant 
can  be  partitioned  off  at  the  rear.  This  arrangement 
is  convenient  where  these  buildings  are  joined  in  a 
long  series. 


LOW-COST    HOUSES 


21 


A  small  henhouse  furnishes  no  space  for  exercise, 
and  a  large  room  is  too  cold  during  winter  nights.  The 
best  combination  is  a  small,  snug,  one-windowed  room 
for  laying  and  roosting,  having  attached  a  large,  cheap, 
light  shed,  the  latter,  according  to  location,  open  south 
or  entirely  closed,  containing  several  windows. 


FIG    13:      HOUSE   AND   SHED 


FIG  .14:       INTERIOR    OF    HOUSE    WITH    SHED 

Scratching  sheds  with  closed  front  should  have  a 
large,  wide  door  which  can  be  thrown  open  in  mild 
weather,  the  hens  being  confined  by  an  inner  door  of 
netting.  When  several  of  these  houses  are  joined,  they 
should  be  built  roosting  pens  joining  and  scratching 
sheds  joining  alternately,  thus  reducing  cost  and  mak- 
ing roosting  oens  warmer.  The  ^ous^  reciuires  about 


22 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


one  thousand  square  feet  of  sheathing,  besides  the 
frame  lumber,  roofing  sheet  or  shingles,  etc.  The  floor 
of  both  parts  should  be  covered  with  litter.  Extra  pro- 
tection for  large  combed  breeds  is  afforded  by  boxing 
in  the  roosts. 

Economical  Small  House — The  cut,  Figure  15, 
shows  the  construction  and  advantages  of  this  house. 
The  space  beneath  has  a  dirt  floor,  and  gives  the  hens 


FIG    15:       A   SMALL   HOUSE 

out-of-door  air  in  winter  and  a  cool  scratching  place  in 
summer.  It  can  be  cleaned  out  with  an  iron  rake  by  re- 
moving the  wire  netting.  Made  of  matched  boarding 
with  building  paper  beneath,  such  houses  are  very  in- 
expensive and  will  serve  admirably  for  use  with  the  col- 
ony plan  of  keeping  fowls.  A  number  of  such  houses 
can  be  scattered  about  the  pastures,  allowing  large 
flocks  to  be  kept.  This  house  can  be  built  of  any  size 


LOW-COST     HOUSES  2$ 

desired,  but  eight  by  ten  to  eight  by  twelve  feet  will  be 
found  a  very  handy  size  and  will  accommodate  from 
twenty  to  thirty  fowls. 

A  Cornstalk  Shelter  can  be  made  quickly  and 
cheaply  for  the  hens.  The  hens  are  very  fond  of  a  low, 
open  shed  facing  the  south,  and  one  can  be  built  of 
stalks  that  will  last  two  or  three  years  or  longer. 
Drive  a  few  posts  in  the  ground  and  wire  some  rails 
against  and  on  top  of  them.  Lean  the  stalks  against 
these  and  lay  them  thickly  on  top  for  the  roof,  which 
should  have  a  steep  slant.  Cover  the  roof  with  a  few 
inches  of  straw  and  lay  a  few  stalks  on  top  to  keep  it 
in  place,  which  will  make  it  waterproof.  In  the  spring 
the  stalks  may  be  taken  down  and  thrown  in  the  barn- 
yard if  no  longer  needed. 


CHAPTER   III 

BUILDINGS    FOR    COLONY    SYSTEM 

For  certain  sections  of  the  country  where  there  is 
but  little  snow  in  winter,  the  poultry  house  shown  in 
the  cut,  Figure  16,  will  be  found  a  most  practical  affair. 
It  is  built  something  like  a  chicken  coop,  but  much 
wider,  and  can  be  carried  to  any  length  desired,  accord- 
ing as  one,  two  or  a  dozen  flocks  are  to  be  given  accom- 
modations. 


FIG    l6:       COLONY    HOUSE   FOR    MILD   CLIMATES 

The  interior  of  each  pen  is  reached  from  the  hinged 
door  in  the  roof.  From  this  the  house  can  be  cleaned 
out,  new  litter  added,  eggs  collected  and  the  fowls  fed 
in  unpleasant  weather.  At  all  other  times  they  are  fed 
in  the  yards.  The  hinged  doors  in  the  roof  are  in 
perspective  in  the  picture,  and  do  not  show  their  full 
width.  Of  course,  they  can  be  made  as  wide  as  one 
may  wish.  Make  the  whole  roof  of  well-seasoned  lum- 


BUILDINGS    FOR    COLONY    SYSTEM  2$ 

ber,  and  paint  it  well.  Under  each  edge  of  the  hinged 
doors  make  a  deep  groove  running  down  the  roof  to 
the  eaves.  This  will  keep  rain  from  beating  in  under 
the  doors.  Small  windows  open  out  from  the  side 
toward  the  yards. 

In  some  circumstances  small  detached  houses  can 
be  made  after  this  pattern  and  located  far  enough  apart 
so  that  the  hens  can  be  divided  into  small  flocks  but 
given  free  range  over  a  pasture  or  other  rough  land, 
each  flock  learning  to  know  its  own  home,  and  going  to 
it  to  lay,  eat  and  roost.  Even  in  far  northern  latitudes 
where  snow  lies  deep  in  winter,  such  a  plan  could  be 
used  for  the  summer  colonizing  of  fowls,  the  flocks 
being  brought  into  winter  quarters  at  the  approach  of 
winter. 

A  Business  Poultry  House,  designed  and  used  in 
large  numbers  by  H.  H.  Stoddard,  Nebraska,  is  well 
adapted  for  use  in  the  colony  system,  whereby  the 
houses  are  placed  about  ten  rods  apart  in  large  fields 
and  the  fowls  given  free  range.  Mr  Stoddard  put  the 
cost  at  not  above  forty  cents  per  fowl  for  materials.  It 
is  fifteen  by  eight  and  a  half  feet  and  four  and  a  half 
feet  high,  with  roosting  accommodations  for  fifty  fowls. 
The  house  is  shown  in  Figure  17. 

The  part  of  the  roof  on  the  south  side  at  a  a  a, 
and  nearly  all  on  the  north,  consists  of  hinged  doors 
opening  to  the  right  or  left,  and  overlapping  when 
closed,  to  shed  rain.  When  it  is  desired  to  whitewash, 
throw  open  all  the  doors,  thus  turning  the  house  inside 
out,  take  out  the  perches  and  nests,  all  built  movable, 
and  there  will  be  no  nook  or  cranny  of  the  woodwork 
that  the  brush  cannot  be  made  to  reach  with  ease,  and 
no  lack  of  elbow  room.  This  arrangement  of  doors 
makes  it  convenient  also  to  catch  fowls  upon  the 
perches  by  night.  The  doors  should  shut  as  snugly  as 
may  be  in  coarse  joiner  work,  and  the  cracks  unavoid- 


26 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


ably  left  around  them  will  afford  all  the  ventilation 
needed  in  winter,  while  in  summer  they  may  be  opened 
more  or  less  widely,  according  to  the  weather.  When 
it  is  warm,  yet  wet,  they  may  be  partly  opened  and 
propped  up,  and  a  board  put  across  their  edges  to  shed 
rain.  It  is  very  desirable,  under  any  plan  for  henneries, 
to  build  so  that  while  moderately  tight  in  winter,  they 
may  be  thrown  open  on  every  side  in  hot  weather; 
for  fowls  are  warmly  clad,  and  suffer  much  from  the 
heat  when  in  buildings  made,  as  is  too  frequently  the 
case,  only  with  reference  to  the  cold.  The  doors  which 
form  the  north  roof  project  six  inches  at  the  ridge  to 
keep  out  rain,  as  there  is  no  ridge-cap.  The  two  win- 


FIG  17:     H.  K.  STODDARD'S  COLONY  HOUSE 

dows  in  the  south  roof  are  glazed  greenhouse  fashion, 
that  is,  with  overlapping  panes,  that  snow  may  slide 
from  them  readily  as  soon  as  loosened  by  the  warmth 
inside.  They  are  two  feet  high  and  three  feet  wide, 
and  set  eighteen  inches  from  the  peak  of  the  roof.  A 
strip  of  tin  is  fastened  over  the  upper  part  of  the  sash, 
and  the  sides  and  bottom  bf  the  sash  overlap  the  roof, 
to  be  rain-proof.  The  shutters,  b  B,  used  to  darken 
the  building  on  certain  necessary  occasions,  elsewhere 
referred  to,  are  hinged  to  the  lower  part  of  the  sash, 
and  when  opened,  as  in  the  illustration,  rest  upon  the 
roof  below  the  windows.  The  side  sills  project  at  both 


BUILDINGS    FOR    COLONY    SYSTEM  27 

ends  of  the  building,  are  beveled  runner  fashion,  and 
strengthened  with  iron  where  holes  are  bored  to  attach 
chains ;  thus  it  may  be  drawn  by  either  end.  The  sills, 
which  receive  the  principal  strain  during  moving, 
should  be  so  well  braced  as  to  keep  the  whole  building 
in  shape.  The  end  sills,  of  two-inch  plank,  should  be 
spiked  upon  the  top  of  the  others,  flatwise,  so  as  not 
to  touch  the  ground  while  moving,  and  the  side  sills, 
four  inches  square,  should  be  of  chestnut  or  oak,  to  be 
as  durable  as  possible,  for  they  rest  on  the  ground  dur- 
ing a  good  part  of  the  year.  The  spruce  rafters,  two 
by  three  inches,  which  answer  for  studs  and  rafters 
both,  should  be  set  at  such  distances  apart  as  will 
correspond  with  the  width  of  the  doors  and  windows 
which  are  fastened  to  them.  A  stout  ridgepole,  sawn 
of  a  triangular  shape,  runs  the  length  of  the  building 
underneath  the  rafters,  and  two  sticks  are  fastened  to 
this  ridgepole,  one  five  feet  from  each  end,  and  braced 
upon  the  center  of  the  end  sills  to  give  firmness,  for 
the  covering,  consisting  chiefly  of  doors,  does  not 
strengthen  the  building,  as  in  ordinary  cases,  where 
the  covering  is  nailed  to  the  frame.  C  C  are  doors,  each 
three  feet  by  one  foot,  opening  outward  and  downward, 
to  give  the  keeper  access  to  the  nests,  which  are  one 
foot  square  and  the  same  in  depth,  and  so  contrived 
that  the  hens  enter  them  at  one  end  from  a  passage  six 
inches  wide  and  one  foot  high,  boarded  at  side  and  top, 
running  the  length  of  the  row  of  nests,  and  are  thus 
indulged  in  their  liking  for  privacy  while  laying.  The 
nests  are  tight  upon  the  top,  the  outside  door  should  fit 
closely,  and  the  opening  admitting  the  fowls  to  the 
passage  be  made  so  small  that  the  nests  will  be  rather 
dark.  It  is  found  that  when  nests  are  open  to  view 
from  the  main  apartment,  hens  will,  in  stormy  weather, 
for  lack  of  other  employment,  sometimes  enter  them  to 
scratch  for  food,  and  thus  by  chance  break  eggs  and 


28  POL" LTRY   A RC II 1TECT f  RE 

learn  to  eat  them,  and  acquire  the  habit  of  pecking  at 
and  devouring  eggs  as  fast  as  laid.  But  a  darkened 
nest  will  deter  them  from  entering,  except  to  lay,  for 
which  purpose  they  prefer  a  low,  dark  corner.  There 
is  a  row  of  six  nests  running  across  the  building  at  each 
end,  making  twelve,  which  will  be  sufficient,  as  it  will 
not  happen  that  more  than  that  number  out  of  a  flock 
will  need  them  at  once.  The  passages  are  made  so  that 
they  may  be  taken  out  with  the  nests  for  whitewash- 
ing. The  end  sills,  of  plank  eighteen  inches  wide,  serve 
as  a  tight  floor  for  the  nests  and  passage.  The  perches, 
two  in  number,  are  eighteen  inches  apart  and  each  is 
eighteen  inches  from  the  roof  and  two  feet  higher  than 
the  sills.  Perches  should  be  of  two  and  a  half  by  three 
and  a  half  inch  sawred  stuff,  the  widest  part  up,  with  the 
upper  corners  rounded  off  a  verv  little.  When  fowls 
not  fully  grown  roost  upon  narrow  perches,  their 
breastbones  sometimes  become  deformed.  From  four 
to  five  average  sized  fowls  will  occupy  two  feet  of 
perch.  The  perches,  being  each  t\velve  feet  long,  will 
accommodate  a  flock  of  fifty,  and  are  to  be  placed  so 
as  not  to  extend  over  the  part  occupied  by  the  nests. 
The  drinking  vessel  stands  upon  one  of  the  platforms 
formed  by  the  nests,  and  upon  these  platforms  are  also 
shallow  boxes  containing  gravel,  pounded  charcoal, 
and  a  mixture  of  loam,  sand  and  oyster-shell  lime, 
made  into  an  easily  crumbled  mortar.  The  boxes  are 
ten  inches  wide,  and,  being  placed  next  the  end  wall, 
leave  a  space  eight  inches  wide  upon  the  platform  for 
the  fowls  to  stand  upon.  The  drinking  pail  and  gravel 
boxes  are  protected  by  their  elevation  from  the  dirt 
that  would  otherwise  be  thrown  into  them  by  the  fowls 
when  scratching  and  dusting,  and  are  fronted  by  slats 
with  openings  six  by  two  and  three-fourths  inches  be- 
tween them.  An  opening  is  made  in  the  end  wall  over 
the  pail  that  is  just  large  enough  to  admit  the  spout 


BUILDINGS     FOR     COLONY     SYSTEM  2() 

of  a  large  watering-  pot  without  the  sprinkler,  to  afford 
the  most  convenient  arrangement  for  watering.  The 
door,  d,  one  foot  wide,  opening  downward,  is  for  re- 
moving the  pail  and  gravel  boxes  when  desired,  and 
when  fastened  ajar  will  he  found  more  convenient  for 
ventilation  than  the  roof  doors,  when  the  weather  is 
only  moderately  warm.  Both  ends  of  the  building  alike 
are  furnished  with  doors. 

During  the  severest  weather,  generally  about  three 
or  three  and  a  half  months  of  the  year,  this  building 
does  not  stand  with  sills  upon  the  ground,  but  for 
winter  it  rests,  as  in  the  figure,  upon  the  edges  of  a 
box  or  bin  of  dimensions  corresponding  with  the  cen- 
ter of  the  sills  of  the  building,  made  of  planks  nine 
inches  wide  and  two  thick,  like  a  mortar  bed  with  no 
bottom,  filled  with  dry  earth.  This  should  be  set  upon 
ridges  thrown  up  by  the  plow. 

During  the  winter  a  low  structure  six  feet  wide 
and  twelve  long,  and  one  and  a  half  high  on  one  side 
and  three  and  a  half  on  the  other,  seen  at  the  left  in 
the  illustration,  serves  the  purpose  of  a  feeding  room, 
and  the  rest  of  the  year  is  used  as  a  shelter  for  chickens. 
Its  winter  location  is  about  four  feet  from  the  larger 
building,  e  e  e  e  represent  doors  which  overlap  each 
other  to  shed  rain,  and  when  closed  rest  upon  the 
highest  or  north  wall,  and  open  upward  and  to  the 
south,  resting  upon  a  rail  attached  to  posts  set  in  the 
ground.  In  each  door  is  a  window  three  feet  square, 
glazed,  as  are  all  the  windows  in  the  various  fowl 
houses,  greenhouse  style. 

This  feed  house  is  movable,  being  furnished  with 
planks  set  edgewise,  with  runner-shaped  ends  for  side 
sills.  Inside  a  feed  box,  slatted  on  both  sides,  rests  on 
cleats  attached  to  the  end  walls,  twenty  inches  from  the 
north  wall,  and  near  the  top  of  the  room,  so  that  dirt 
cannot  be  scratched  into  it.  It  has  a  shelf  seven  inches 


30  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

wide  on  both  sides  in  front  of  the  slats,  on  which  the 
birds  stand  while  feeding,  and  contains  a  trough  made 
by  nailing  boards  three  inches  wide  to  each  edge  of  a 
board  five  inches  wide.  A  door,  f,  in  one  end  of  the 
feed  room,  large  enough  to  admit  a  fowl,  communicates 
with  a  similar  door,  G,  in  the  south  side  of  the  main 
building  by  a  movable  covered  passage  five  and  a 
half  feet  long,  one  and  one-fourth  high  and  one  wide, 
it  being  like  a  box  with  a  lid  and  but  one  end,  and  with 
an  opening  on  one  side.  This  passage  is  not  shown  in 
the  illustration. 


FIG    l8l       NORTHERN    COLONY    HOUSE 

Northern  Colony  Houses — Farmers  in  the  north 
who  raise  poultry  extensively  usually  have  started  with 
but  little  capital,  and  have  tried  to  build  the  cheapest 
possible  house  that  would  afford  enough  shelter  to 
secure  winter  eggs  in  a  severe  climate.  A  typical  house 
of  this  kind  is  shown  herewith,  Figure  18,  depicting  the 
style  in  use  on  a  colony  poultry  farm  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. Other  farms  in  the  state  use  a  house  of  same 
style  but  shorter  and  therefore  cheaper. 

A  number  of  these  houses  are  arranged  in  two 
rows  at  opposite  sides  of  a  ten-acre  lot. 

Each  house  in  the  row  is  several  rods  from  its 
nearest  neighbor.  All  of  the  houses  are  accessible  by 


BUILDINGS    FOR    COLONY    SYSTEM  3! 

means  of  a  team,  which  is  employed  to  transport  sup- 
plies. No  fencing"  is  used  except  for  a  few  flocks, 
during  the  breeding  season.  The  houses,  which,  by  the 
way,  have  been  liberally  copied  by  the  whole  neighbor- 
hood, are  A-shaped,  fifteen  by  sixteen  feet,  the  narrow 
side  to  the  front.  The  seven  two  by  four  rafters  are 
eleven  feet  long,  and  are  nailed  at  the  bottom  directly 
onto  the  sills,  which  are  four  by  four  and  raised  a  foot 
or  so  above  the  ground  on  stones.  The  roof  is  double, 
sloping  east  and  west,  and  is  covered  first  with  rough 
hemlock  boards,  over  which  are  laid  two  thicknesses  of 
tarred  paper,  well  battened  down,  and  finally  a  liberal 
coat  of  coal  tar  over  all.  The  ends  of  the  houses  are 
made  in  different  ways,  and  some  are  boarded  and 
shingled,  others  battened  only.  Still  others  are  treated 
like  the  roof.  In  the  south  end  on  the  right  side  is  a 
door  swinging  outward,  which  is  left  open  every  day 
unless  the  weather  is  very  stormy.  A  slat  door  inside 
is  found  useful  to  keep  the  hens  from  going  out  in 
inclement  weather.  At  the  left  of  the  door  is  the  only 
window  in  the  hous.e.  It  consists  of  two  sashes  of  ordi- 
nary size,  which  are  screwed  fast  in  their  places  and 
never  opened.  For  ventilation  a  hole  six  to  eight 
inches  square  is  cut  high  up  in  each  gable.  During 
summer  both  of  these  are  left  open,  while  in  winter 
the  back  one  only  is  closed.  The  soil  being  naturally 
rather  light,  no  special  preparation  for  floors  is  re- 
quired, further  than  to  fill  up  each  house  with  sand  to 
about  the  top  of  the  sills.  The  roost  platforms  are  in 
the  back  side  about  four  feet  from  the  ground,  and 
are  four  feet  wide.  The  roosts,,  three  or  four  in  num- 
ber, are  about  one  foot  above  the  platforms,  which 
latter  are  cleaned  weekly,  and  the  roosts  as  often 
smeared  with  kerosene.  Cheese  boxes  for  nests  are 
placed  on  a  platform  at  the  left  as  one  enters. 


32  POULTRY   ARCHITECTURE 

All  the  chicks  are  hen  hatched  in  nests  at  the 
right  of  the  door,  each  of  which  is  shut  off  by  itself 
by  means  of  slat  divisions  and  a  door  which  is  sus- 
pended from  the  roof.  Whenever  a  hen  wants  to  sit, 
she  is  moved,  nest,  box  and  all,  into  one  of  these  divi- 
sions and  given  her  eggs  if  she  means  business.  The 
chicks  are  all  raised  in  brooders.  From  thirty  to 
forty  fowls  occupy  one  of  these  houses. 


f  Ylf/,,.,«ff     .^.sff^^Uti'l- 


FIG   IQ  I       RHODE  ISLAND   COLONY  HOUSE 

Rhode  Island  Colony  Houses — In  some  towns  of 
southern  Rhode  Island  poultry  farming  is  the  main 
industry.  The  farmers  keep  from  two  hundred  to  five 
thousand  chickens,  with  smaller  numbers  of  ducks  and 
geese,  and  depend  on  them  for  a  living.  With  care  and 
industry  a  profit  of  one  to  two  dollars  per  fowl  is 
counted  on  each  year.  The  soil  is  heavy  clay  and  very 
wet  after  rain,  but  the  fowls,  having  free  range,  keep 


nriLDixr.s   FOR   COLONY   SYSTEM  33 

in  good  health.  In  fact  the  heavy,  rich  soil  is  often 
mentioned  by  the  owners  as  a  main  factor  of  success, 
because  of  the  good  hen  pasturage  it  supplies. 

About  two  hundred  and  fifty  fowls  are  assigned 
to  the  acre.  The  houses,  Figure  19,  are  of  the  simplest 
plan  possible,  built  of  rough  hemlock  boards  and  hav- 
ing a  small  window  in  front,  and  very  simple  arrange 
ment  inside.  The  cost  cannot  be  over  twenty  dollars 
per  house  and  may  be  made  considerably  less.  Some 
of  the  houses  have  a  double  roof,  others  are  single  and 
made  of  rough,  unmatched  hemlock  lumber.  The  roof  is 
of  plain  boards  not  shingled,  and  no  roofing  or  batting 
paper  is  used  unless  as  an  experiment.  Air  Wilbour, 
however,  one  of  the  most  extensive  growers,  writes : 
"We  have  found  it  more  economical  to  shingle  the 
roofs.  We  are  also  careful  to  batten  the  cracks,  so  that 
no  direct  draft  can  come  upon  the  fowls.  The  average 
cost  is  sixteen  to  twenty  dollars  per  house  complete. 
We  have  demonstrated  that  an  inexpensive  attachment, 
to  serve  as  a  scratching  shed,  is  a  good  investment. 
As  to  warmth,  direct  drafts  are  always  to  be  avoided, 
but  we  have  never  suffered  from  low  temperatures. 
We  use  tarred  paper  sometimes  inside,  which  is  clean 
and  healthy,  but  we  never  have  been  able  to  discover 
specially  favorable  or  improved  results." 

The  cheapest  style  is  considered  the  most  profita- 
ble. Built  in  this  style  there  is  no  need  of  providing 
for  ventilation,  as  the  air  is  admitted  through  numerous 
cracks  between  the  boards.  The  fowls  are  outside 
almost  every  day  in  the  year,  as  there  is  very  little 
snow.  In  summer,  fresh  salt  breezes  keep  the  air  cool 
and  the  fowls  are  vigorous  and  active  the  year  around. 
Kept  in  such  large  numbers,  the  laying  poultry  docs 
not  reach  the  high  average  production  found  in  some 
small  flocks.  Probably  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  per  hen  would  cover  the  average  annual 


34  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

production  of  the  southern  Rhode  Island  hen.  But 
this  rate  of  product  is  found  quite  profitable  because  of 
the  small  expense  for  buildings,  labor  and  feed.  On 
account  of  the  lack  of  railroad  transportation,  grain 
costs  more  than  elsewhere,  but  the  addition  of  this  is 
not  serious. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  the  various  flocks,  hav- 
ing no  fences  between,  would  become  hopelessly  mixed 
at  feeding  time.  But  such  is  not  the  case,  after  the 
birds  have  learned  their  home  by  being  shut  into  it  for 
a  few  days.  Mr  Wilbour  says  :  "We  have  no  trouble  in 
feeding,  with  a  horse  and  man  driving  from  one 
poultry  house  to  another.  If  the  hens  do  mix  up  a 
little  they  separate  at  once  and  return  to  their  respec- 
tive houses.  Except  our  breeding  flocks  we  keep  no 
males  with  our  hens  upon  the  theory  that  infertile  eggs 
keep  best.'' 


CHAPTER  IV 

HOMES     FOR    FARM     POULTRY 

When  properly  managed,  poultry  is  one  of  the 
most  profitable  products  of  the  farm.  With  a  few  in- 
expensive, conveniently  arranged  buildings  and  yards 
one  person  can  annually  raise  five  hundred  to  eight 
hundred  chicks  without  much  difficulty,  and  the  loss 
need  not  exceed  two  per  cent.  Here  is  a  sketch  and 
description  of  such  an  outfit.  The  plan  and  description 
is  by  Fred  Grundy,  Christian  county,  Illinois,  and  was 
awarded  first  prize  in  a  poultry  descriptive  contest  by 
publishers  of  American  Agriculturist  in  1900. 

The  two  yards,  Figure  20,  are  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  long.  Number  I  is  for  the  hens  and  is 
thirty-two  feet  wide.  Fence  is  four-foot  netting,  two- 
inch  mesh,  with  six-inch  board  at  bottom.  Number 
2  is  for  chicks  and  is  sixteen  feet  wide.  Fence  same 
as  Number  i,  except  that  there  is  twelve-inch  board 
at  bottom  to  keep  chicks  in.  Some  prefer  twelve-inch 
netting,  one-inch  mesh,  at  bottom.  Either  will  do. 
Each  yard  has  a  five-foot  gate  next  to  the  house  to 
admit  horse  and  plow.  Cherry  or  other  fruit  trees  are 
set  near  together  at  lower  end  of  yards  and  partly 
along  sides,  outside  the  fence,  and  one  apple  tree  at 
front  corners  of  house.  Both  yards  are  plowed  early 
in  spring,  Number  i  heavily  seeded  with  millet,  Num- 
ber 2  with  rape.  Plow  Number  i  again  in  October 
and  sow  rye. 

At  north  or  west  end  of  yards  is  house,  eight  feet 
high  in  front,  six  and  a  half  at  back,  ten  and  a  half  feet 


Ft 41, 


32  x/S(T 


FIG  20:     CRUNDY'S  POULTRY  HOUSE  AND  YARD 


IIOMKS   FOR  FARM   I'OTLTRY  J7 

wide.  Plain  barn  siding'  battened,  interior  lined  with 
two-ply  tarred  sheathing  and  roof  covered  with  three- 
ply  tarred  roofing  felt.  This  makes  it  wind  and  rain 
proof.  Floors  are  earth  raised  a  few  inches.  House 
is  painted  and  looks  neat.  The  building  is  divided  as 
follows :  a  is  an  open  scratching  shed  sixteen  feet  long ; 
front  is  boarded  down  three  feet  from  top.  b  is  hen- 
house with  door  at  each  end.  Perches  are  eighteen 
inches  high,  hinged  to  back  wall,  and  supported  in 
front  and  center  by  legs  which  stand  on  the  Moor. 
They  can  be  raised  out  of  the  way  and  hung  to  the 
ceiling  when  the  floor  is  swept.  There  is  a  double 
row  of  nests,  twelve  by  twelve  inches,  one  above  the 
other,  separate  from  the  house  and  can  be  moved  about 
or  taken  out  for  cleaning,  c  is  chick  house,  sixteen 
feet  long,  door  at  each  end.  There  is  a  row  of  coops, 
fourteen  by  twenty-four,  at  back  for  hens  with  chicks. 
The  partitions  between  the  coops  are  loose  and  can 
be  drawn  out  so  the  hen  can  be  passed  along  when  a 
coop  needs  cleaning.  The  floor  of  the  coop  is  a  single 
inch-thick  piece  and  lies  loose  on  three  inches  of  gravel 
or  coal  ashes.  Front  is  fitted  with  a  sliding  door  made 
of  inch-mesh  netting  attached  to  a  wood  frame. 

Fanners  Poultry  House — A  Massachusetts  poul- 
tryman,  W.  H.  Wells,  has  built  a  house,  Figure  21, 
which  he  finds  successful  and  which  he  made  at  low 
cost  by  using  odds  and  ends  of  lumber  about  the 
farm.  .It  is  located  on  a  natural  ridge  where  drainage 
is  good  in  all  directions.  To  quote  from  Mr  Wells's 
directions  : 

"The  illustration  shows  a  farmers'  poultry  house 
outside,  with  plan  of  roosts  shown  in  lower  corner 
and  dimensions  in  feet  and  inches.  Also  frame  of 
house,  a,  foundation  stone;  b,  frame  and  rafters;  c, 
boarding  paper  under  shingles ;  d}  window  partly  open 
for  ventilation. 


38  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

"Dig  two  parallel  ditches  fourteen  and  a  half  feet 
apart,  measuring  from  outsides,  and  each  eighteen 
feet  hy  twelve  inches.  Fill  them  with  cobblestones. 
Place  flat  stones  on  a  bed  of  cobbles  every  six  feet,  with 
their  faces  inclined  toward  each  other.  These  are 
within  the  ditch.  For  rafters  I  prefer  eight-inch  round 
timber  split  through  the  center.  Don't  let  the  stone 
that  the  rafter  sits  on  project  above  the  support  or  it 
will  conduct  the  water  against  the  end  of  the  support 
and  rot  it.  Let  the  first  course  of  shingles  lap  over 
the  foundation  stones. 

"The  scratching  shed  is  the  last  or  end  section  in  a 
house  of  three  sections,  but  would  be  in  the  middle 


FIG    21  I       FARMERS     POULTRY    HOUSE 

section  in  a  house  of  five  sections,  or  the  two  center 
sections  in  a  house  of  six  sections.  Each  section  repre- 
sents six  feet  of  the  length  of  the  house.  The  sections 
used  for  scratching  sheds  are  partitioned  from  the 
main  house.  When  we  have  a  scratching  shed  we  place 
the  door  in  the  partition  between  the  shed  and  the 
house  as  near  the  front  side  as  possible. 

"In  forming  the  projections  for  the  window,  don't 
use  any  timber  larger  than  two  by  four  inches,  and 
those  only  for  the  short  rafter  and  the  upright.  If  two 
by  six  inches  is  used  for  the  main  timbers,  use  one  by 
four  for  the  uprights  or  the  division  between  the  win- 
dows. The  ends  of  this  house  are  finished  the  same 
as  the  roof,  except  that  the  shed  is  not  papered,  but  the 


HOMES  FOR  FARM  POULTRY  39 

partition  between  the  shed  and  house  proper  is  papered. 
The  roosts  are  shown  in  the  plan,  but  are  not  taken 
into  account  in  the  cost,  as  nearly  everyone  has  his 
own  ideas  in  regard  to  what  is  required  for  roosts  and 
nests.  Standards  for  the  roosts  are  three  feet  high, 
notched  at  the  top  to  hold  the  roosting  poles.  The  box 
underneath  for  the  droppings  should  be  sunk  into  the 
ground  within  two  inches  of  the  top,  or  hens  will  roost 
on  the  sides.  The  roost  is  movable  and  must  not  be 
fastened  to  the  top  of  standards,  as  it  will  interfere 
with  cleaning  the  trough. 

"The  twenty-five-hen  size  requires  lumber  as  fol- 
lows, cheap  grades  being  used  and  odds  and  ends  util- 
ized where  possible.  Four  pieces  each  of  the  following : 
Fourteen  feet  by  two  by  six  inches,  twelve  feet  by  two 
by  six  inches,  six  feet  by  two  by  six  inches,  six  fejt 
by  two  by  four  inches,  three  pieces  eight  feet  by  two  by 
four  inches  and  two  pieces  twelve  feet  by  two  by  four 
inches ;  one  door  two  and  one-half  by  six  and  one- 
third  feet  by  one  and  one-fourth  inches ;  eight  hundred 
feet  Number  2  boards,  six  dollars  per  thousand  feet; 
five  thousand  Number  2  shingles,  one  dollar  and  a 
quarter  per  thousand ;  two  sashes  to  fill  space  four  and 
one-third  by  five  feet  ten  inches,  glass  nine  by  twelve 
inches ;  ninety  square  yards  building  paper ;  twenty-- 
five pounds  tenpenny  nails  and  three  sets  hinges  with 
screws.  Total  cost  of  material,  twenty-one  dollars 
and  forty-eight  cents ;  labor  one  man  four  days,  six 
dollars. 

"By  using  cheap  material,  such  as  paper  mill 
waste  for  sheathing  paper,  shingles  sawed  from  lumber 
of  the  farm,  old  windows,  etc,  I  managed  to  reduce 
actual  cost  of  labor  and  all  to  twenty  dollars  and  three 
cents.  In  longer  houses  of  the  same  style  the  cost  can 
be  brought  down  to  one  dollar  per  running  foot,  in- 
cluding labor.  A  small  house  requires  as  many  gables 


PO  U  LTR Y   ARC  II 1TECT  U  RE 


and  ends  to  be  finished  as  if  it  were  three  times  as  long, 
and  hence  is  more  costly  in  proportion.  Don't  think  it 
necessary  to  follow  exactly  the  measures  here  given. 
If  you  have  old  windows,  build  your  section  to  fit 
them.  If  there  are  old  boards  that  will  do  to  cover  the 
roof,  use  them  and  put  in  more  of  the  main  rafters  to 
nail  to.  One  can  use  simply  round  poles  for  main 
rafters  and  still  the  building  will  be  a  success.  Simply 
do  the  best  you  can  with  what  you  have  to  do  with  in 
time,  money  and  material,  but  don't  forget  to  paper 
underneath  the  shingles." 


FIG  22  :       HOUSE  EASILY  REMOVED 

Can  Be  Easily  Taken  Apart — Herewith  is  pre- 
sented a  plan,  elevation  (Figures  22,  23),  details  and 
bill  of  materials  for  a  movable  chicken  house  which 
almost  anyone  can  construct.  The  cost  is  not  great, 
depending  on  the  kind  and  quality  of  lumber  used. 
The  elevation  shows  a  shed  roof,  which  is  the  cheaper, 
though  not  so  fine  in  appearance.  A  double-pitched 
roof  allows  more  available  head  room,  thus  making  it 


HOMES  FOR  FARM   POULTRY  41 

more  convenient  to  work  inside.  A  movable  house 
having  the  floor  raised  some  distance  above  the  ground, 
thus  affording  underneath  a  resting  place  and  shelter 
from  sun,  wind  and  rain,  is  for  many  reasons  a  de- 
cided improvement  over  stationary  houses. 


*l 

tft      ' 


***"** 


""""I 


W  l%»  A*  «*. 


FIG   23:       INTERIOR   AND   DETAILS 

A  house  like  this  has  been  in  use  over  a  year  and 
a  half  and  seems  to  meet  all  requirements  for  fifteen 
to  twenty  fowls.  It  has  a  run  thirty  by  forty  feet.  The 
house  is  moved  to  a  new  site,  spring  and  fall,  and  is 


4^  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

easily  moved  on  rollers  and  some  pieces  of  two  by  fours 
by  a  man  and  boy.  A  ground  floor  should  be  pre- 
viously prepared  by  spading  around  a  center  line  and 
throwing  the  earth  up  until  a  space  eighteen  inches 
larger  each  way  than  the  house  has  been  raised  six 
inches  above  the  surrounding  surface.  This  should  be 
raked  level,  and  well  rammed,  so  as  to  pitch  slightly 
toward  the  front.  The  margins  should  be  particularly 
well  rammed  to  discourage  scratching  and  prevent 
washing.  Upon  this  floor  lay  the  two  pieces  of  two 
by  fours  for  the  house  to  rest  on. 

The  gable  is  shown  not  inclosed.  The  triangular 
piece  which  closes  this  may  be  hinged  to  the  roof  so  as 
to  swing  outward,  which  will  afford  ventilation  in 
summer.  The  roosts  should  be  all  the  same  hight  from 
the  floor,  and  if  each  is  divided  by  a  couple  of  pickets 
projecting  one  foot  above  it  there  will  be  less  crowd- 
ing. Loose  nest  boxes  are  set  on  the  floor.  The  win- 
dow shown  is  amply  large.  It  is  covered  outside  with 
small-mesh  wire  netting,  and  in  summer  the  sash  is 
removed.  A  very  useful  addition  for  winter  would 
be  a  sort  of  closed  "lean-to,"  which  could  be  set  against 
the  open  side  to  provide  extended  shelter  and  a  pro- 
tected feeding  place  in  stormy  weather.  This  could  be 
used  as  a  coop  during  the  breeding  season. 

The  following  bill  of  materials  is  required :  Four 
two  by  four  sixteen  feet  for  plates,  sills  and  posts,  two 
two  by  four  twelve  feet  for  plates,  sills  and  foundation, 
twenty-four  one  by  eight  twelve  feet,  or  one  hundred 
and  seventy  square  feet  for  sides,  seven  one  by  eight 
fourteen  feet,  or  sixty-five  feet,  for  roof,  six  one  by 
eight  sixteen  feet,  or  fifty  feet,  for  floor,  two  pounds 
•tenpenny,  four  pounds  eightpenny  and  one  pound 
sixpenny  cut  nails,  one  piece  small-mesh  wire  netting 
three  by  three,  with  staples,  one  six-light  eight  by  ten 
glass  sash,  one  roll  two  or  three-ply  roofing  paper,  one 


HOMES  FOR  FARM  POULTRY 


43 


and  one-half  pounds  inch  wire  nails  and  tins,  one  pair 
three-inch  strap  hinges. 

The  buildings  on  the  C.  H.  Wyckoff  farm,  Tomp- 
kins  county,  New  York,  the  well-known  Leghorn 
specialist,  are  twelve  feet  wide  by  forty  feet  long  and 


P  PERCHES 
r  FTEDTROUtiHS 

a  SMELL  eaxcs 

rt    VtAT  ER  FWh 
a  OUST  BATH' 


THOUGH*.  FOR  OROPMN6S 
A    A£LEY 
JU     NESTS 

FIG  24:       EXD  VIEW   OF   HOUSE   AND  DETAILS 

six  feet  high  (see  Figure  24),  having  a  shingled  roof 
with  a  one  foot  in  three  feet  pitch.  The  sides  and 
ends  are  double  boarded,  so  as  to  break  joints,  with 
tarred  paper  between.  The  plates,  sleepers,  etc,  are  of 
two  by  four-inch  scantlings.  Each  house  is  divided  the 
long  way  by  a  partition  into  two  equal  compartments 
and  each  has  a  yard  adjoining  which  accommodates 
sixty  fowls.  The  two  perches,  which  are  along  the 


44  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

north  side  of  the  house,  are  placed  thirteen  inches  apart 
and  eighteen  inches  ahove  the  platform  which  catches 
the  droppings  and  also  serves  as  a  cover  to  the  nest 
hoxes.  Everything  in  the  building  is  easily  removable. 
The  floor  is  cleaned  once  a  week  and  the  partition 
under  the  perches  is  cleaned  twice  a  week  and  plastered 
daily.  Cleaning  under  the  nests  is  accomplished  by 
lifting  the  perches  and  scraping  the  trough.  The 
eggs  are  gathered  by  lifting  the  hanging  board  floor 
which  forms  the  sides  and  roof  platform.  A  dark 
passageway  leads  along  the  back  of  the  nest  boxes  and 
affords  a  secrecy  and  exclusiveness  to  the  laying  hen 
which  is  highly  desirable. 

The  feed  trough  is  made  by  nailing  together  two- 
inch  boards  sixteen  feet  long'  by  six  inches  wide  in  the 
form  of  a  V  trough.  Water  is  kept  in  a  pan,  over 
which  is  placed  a  round  flat  box  (see  Figure  2  in 
Figure  24),  through  the  sides  of  which  the  fowls  can 
reach  for  the  water  and  still  cannot  soil  the  water  nor 
overturn  the  pan.  The  dust  box  is  made  by  nailing  a 
board  across  one  corner  of  the  room.  Two  windows, 
each  containing  six  ten  by  twelve-inch  lights,  are  placed 
in  the  south  side  of  each  apartment.  More  glass  would 
make  the  house  colder  at  night  and  warmer  during 
the  day  owing  to  the  rapidity  with  which  glass  radiates 
heat.  No  other  ventilation  is  provided,  except  as  the 
windows  are,  opened  by  sliding.  The  floor  is  laid  with- 
out an  air  space  over  a  bottom  of  fine  stone  and  gravel 
and  is  made  practically  air-tight  by  the  dirt  which  fills 
the  cracks.  Well  drained  earth  floors  were  first  tried, 
but  proved  unsatisfactory  because  of  the  moist  con- 
dition of  the  soil,  which  kept  the  floor  cold  and  damp 
and  made  it  necessary  to  remove  the  soil  frequently, 
replacing  it  with  new  earth. 

The  yards  are  two  rods  wide  by  eight  long  and 
contain  twelve  thrifty  plum  trees  set  in  a  row  through 


HOMES  FOR   FARM   POULTRY 


45 


ihc  middle.  Every  two  weeks  during'  the  summer  the 
halves  of  the  yards  are  alternately  plowed.  The  fence 
is  six  feet  high  and  is  made  by  wiring"  to  chestnut 
poles  panels  made  by  nailing  pickets  two  and  one-half 
inches  wide  the  same  distance  apart.  The  entire  cost 
of  each  building,  including  the  fence,  did  not  exceed 
one  hundred  dollars.  The  fence  alone  cost  for  material 
seventy  cents  per  rod. 

Movable  Chicken  Coop — During  winter  poultry- 
men  should  find  time  to  repair  old  chicken  coops  and 
make  new  ones.  With  ordinary  care  more  vigorous 


FIG  25  :       MOVABLE   COOP 

pullets  can  be  raised  by  scattering  them  about  the  fields 
in  small  colonies  after  haying,  as  insects  then  form  a 
very  cheap  and  important  portion  of  their  diet.  When 
biddy  brings  forth  her  brood,  place  in  one  of  the  coops 
with  the  movable  run  in  position.  This  allowrs  her  to 
get  to  the  ground.  After  she  leaves  her  chicks  the 
run  is  removed,  the  roosts  placed  in  position  and  the 
family  moved  to  any  convenient  spot.  Pullets  may 
be  sheltered  in  such  a  house  until  cold  weather  or  until 
they  begin  to  lay.  The  coops  will  accommodate 
twenty-five  chicks  or  ten  well-grown  pullets.  It  is 
four  bv  three  feet,  and  two  and  one-half  feet  high  at 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


the  eaves.  The  run  is  four  by  three  feet.  The  run  and 
roof  are  built  with  a  pitch  of  ninety  degrees.  The 
sills  are  of  two  by  four  material  and  extended  as  shown 
in  Figure  25,  to  facilitate  moving.  The  plates  are  of 
two  by  two-inch  material,  and  extended  each  way  one 
foot  beyond  the  eaves  for  handles.  The  sides,  roof  and 
floor  are  of  jointed  pine  boards.  The  roof  is  covered 
with  one  thickness  of  sheathing  paper,  held  in  place 
by  cleats.  If  this  is  jointed  it  will  make  a  waterproof 


12 


FLOOR    PLAN 


FRONT     ELEVATION 
FIG   26 1       AN    OREGON    TLAN 

roof  that  will  last  a  number  of  seasons.  The  first  fifteen 
inches  below  each  gable  should  be  of  half-inch  wire 
netting  for  ventilation.  Each  end  is  provided  with  a 
door  one  foot  wide,  one  hinged,  the  other  arranged 
to  slide.  The  roof  should  have  a  two-inch  projection 
all  around  to  throw  rain.  The  run  is  made  by  nailing 
laths  two  and  one-half  inches  apart  upon  a  frame  made 
of  two  by  two-inch  scantling.  Two  men  can  easily 


HOMES  FOR  FARM  POULTRY  47 

move  this  coop  from  one  part  of  a  field  to  another, 
giving  the  chicks  new  feeding  room. 

An  Oregon  Plan — The  plan  of  Figure  26  was  used 
for  the  construction  of  a  house  for  one  hundred  fowls 
and  has  been  found  convenient  and  satisfactory.  It 
is  built  box  style  with  the  joists  placed  on  top  of  the 
sills.  The  roof  has  a  one-third  pitch,  or  four  feet  rise 
in  twelve,  with  eight-inch  eaves.  Place  the  building 
upon  posts  two  feet  from  the  ground,  so  the  fowls  can 
get  under  it,  as  it  makes  a  fine  dusting  place  in  winter 
or  summer.  Entrance  for  the  fowls  is  made  under  each 
window,  which  should  face  the  south  or  east.  A  board 
may  be  placed  from  the  entrance  to  the  ground  and 
cleats  nailed  on  as  steps.  In  the  construction  was 
used  ten  or  twelve-inch  ship  lap  for  floor  and  sides, 
lined  with  tar  paper  both  sides  and  roof.  For  the 
house,  as  illustrated,  there  will  be  needed  one  thousand 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  ship  lap,  two  sills 
four  by  six  by  thirty-two  feet,  seventeen  joists  two  by 
six  by  twelve  feet,  seventeen  rafters  two  by  four  by 
fifteen  feet,  six  plates  two  by  four  by  sixteen  feet,  for 
posts  one  piece  six  by  six  by  sixteen  feet,  old  boards 
for  roof  boards  or  new  lumber  laid  close  together. 
Lay  the  shingles  four  inches  to  the  weather,  of  which 
four  thousand  five  hundred  will  be  required.  Parti- 
tions may  be  of  one  by  two-inch  strips  placed  two 
inches  apart  or  they  may  be  of  boards.  In  the  floor 
plan  are  shown  the  four  windows  by  heavy  lines,  doors 
inside  opening  from  partition  to  wall  from  coop  to 
coop.  The  nests  are  conveniently  arranged  on  each 
side  of  each  pen. 

Coop  for  the  SoutJi — D.  D.  Doane,  a  successful 
Florida  poultry  keeper,  describes  a  house  of  slats, 
Figure  27,  warm  enough  for  the  climate  and  cool  in 
summer : 


UNIVERSITY  ] 

\  °F 

1IOMKS  FOR  FARM   POULTRY 


"Aly  hens  run  at  large  around  the  house  and  barn, 
which  stand  inclosed  in  a  two-acre  field  seeded  to  Ber- 
muda grass.  The  flock  consists  of  sixty-three  hens  and 
one  male,  all  White  Leghorns,  nearly  pure.  The  hen- 
house is  twelve  feet  long,  six  feet  wide  and  six  feet 
from  floor  to  peak.  It  has  a  cement  floor,  is  swept 
every  Saturday  and  dusted  with  sand.  The  house  is 
made  of  pine  shakes  and  roofed  with  hand-made  pine 
shingles.  Laying  boxes,  running  the  whole  length  of 
house,  are  placed  outside  on  each  side,  so  that  I  do  not 
have  to  go  inside  the  house  except  to  sweep  it.  The 
morning  feeding  place  is  on  a  board  floor  resting  on 
sawhorses  three  feet  from  the  ground,  so  that  pigs 
cannot  get  the  feed  nor  disturb  the  fowls. 

"The  henhouse  costs  about  two  days'  labor  in  cut- 
ting down  pine  trees  and  splitting  up  into  shakes  and 
shingles.  The  chickens  are  hatched  under  hens  and 
raised  in  a  homemade  brooder  so  the  hens  can  go  back 
to  laying  as  soon  as  possible.  In  front  of  brooder  I 
have  a  yard  about  six  by  eight  feet  made  of  wire 
netting." 

House  for  One  Hundred  Fowls  —  The  building  is 
made  of  two  by  four-inch  joists,  sheeted,  papered  and 
sided.  The  inside  is  sheeted,  papered  and  ceiled.  The 
dead  air  space  is  not  filled  as  it  is  much  drier.  In  Fig- 
ure 28,  at  a  are  four  perches  ;  b  is  an  incline  hung  on 
hinges  with  the  lower  edge  over  the  box  c  to  receive 
droppings.  The  end  of  the  box  c  not  under  the  roosts 
is  used  as  a  dust  box.  The  feed  trough  is  at  d.  A  par- 
tition is  made  of  two  by  four  studding  which  is  ceiled 
up  with  wire  netting  to  allow  light  from  windows 
across  the  passage.  Nest  boxes  are  at  c,  one-half  of 
each  extending  through  the  wire  partition,  with  a 
hinged  cover.  Large  windows  are  placed  in  the 
upright  eight-foot  front.  Figure  28  shows  the  end 


50  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

view.     This  coop  has  had  several  years'  trial  and  has 
proven  convenient. 

House  with  Cloth  Run — The  distinctive  feature  of 
this  henhouse  (Figure  29)  is  the  portion  built  entirely 
of  oilcloth.  The  frames  are  made  so  that  thev  can  be 


FIG   28:       HOUSE   FOR   ONE    HUNDRED   FOWLS 


easily  taken  apart.  They  are  merely  tied  together  and 
lightly  nailed  to  strong  corner  posts.  This  cloth  run  is 
excellent  for  chicks  in  early  spring.  When  they  are  a 
few  weeks  old,  a  hole  is  made  under  the  frame  to  let 
them  out.  Don't  make  the  hole  large  enough  for  the 


HOMES  FOR  FARM  POULTRY  5! 

older  fowls  or  for  cats.  The  main  henhouse  is  twelve 
by  six  by  eight  feet  high,  with  slightly  sloping  roof. 
The  cloth  run  is  twelve  by  six  by  six  feet  high.  The 
floor  of  the  main  house  is  raised  two  feet,  allowing  an 
extra  run  beneath  for  the  chicks.  This  oiled  cloth  was 
used  also  for  doors  and  for  coverings  for  hotbeds,  and 
it  has  lasted  several  years. 

L-Shaped  House — A  poultryman  submits  this  in- 
terior plan  of  a  poultry  house  (Figure  30)  which  has 
given  him  satisfaction.  The  shed  faces  toward  the 
south,  which  is  the  left-hand  side  of  the  drawing.  The 


FIG  29  I      HOUSE  WITH   CLOTH  RUN 

windows  face  the  east,  thus  the  birds  get  the  morning 
and  midday  sun,  either  in  the  house  or  in  the  shed. 
The  construction  makes  it  convenient  to  reach  all  parts 
of  the  house  and  the  cost  is  claimed  to  be  no  greater 
than  by  the  ordinary  method  by  which  shed  and  main 
house  are  under  a  continuous  roof. 

Octagon  House — The  octagon  form  has  advan- 
tages. It  is  strong,  compact  and  affords  a  larger  area 
in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  outside  wall  than  a  rec- 
tangle. The  timbers,  being  short,  may  be  light.  More- 
over, it  can  catch  more  winter  sunshine. 


I'O  U  LTR Y  ARCHITECT  U  RE 


The  area  of  the  poultry  house  represented  by  the 
accompanying  ground  plan,  Figure  31,  is  three  hun- 
dred and  three  square  feet.  This  is  a  little  more  than 
that  of  a  rectangular  house  ten  by  thirty  feet.  The  sides 
being  eight  feet  each,  the  total  outside  lineal  measure- 
ment is  sixty-four  feet,  whereas  that  of  the  rectangular 
house  is  eighty  feet.  With  three  windows,  as  shown  in 


FIG  3D!      L-SHAPED   HOUSE   WITH   SHED 

the  illustration,  direct  sunshine  is  admitted  from  dawn 
until  sunset.  The  transverse  partition  is  mainly  of  wire 
netting  and  the  door  may  be  wholly  removed  at  the  end 
of  the  brooding  season. 

The  dusting  box  is  placed  directly  beneath  the 
south  window.  The  perches  fit  into  slots  at  the  ends, 
so  as  to  be  movable.  It  is  needless  to  partition  off  the 


HUMES  FOR  l-AR.U   POULTRY 


53 


roosting  place,  but  a  curtain  of  old  burlap  hung  in 
front  of  it  in  winter  will  add  greatly  to  the  comfort  of 
the  fowls  and  consequently  to  the  contents  of  the  egg 
basket. 

Good  Winter  House — The  building  (Figure  32) 
is  thirty  by  ten  feet,  frame  construction,  and  is  elevated 
one  and  one-third  feet  from  the  ground.  The  building 


FIG  31  :      OCTAGON    HOUSE 

is  divided  into  three  rooms  ten  by  ten  feet  respectively. 
To  the  left  is  the  brooder  room,  where  the  hens  are 
set  and  where  the  chickens  are  reared.  Along  the 
side  of  this  room  are  rows  of  nests  which  are  separated 
from  each  other  by  partitions,  and  have  each  a  door  in 
front.  Everything  is  portable  and  can  easily  be  taken 


54 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


out,  cleaned  and  disinfected.  To  the  right  is  the  roost 
room.  All  droppings  fall  into  a  trough  and  the  room 
can  easily  be  kept  clean.  The  roost  is  also  portable. 
In  the  middle  is  the  feed  and  scratch  room,  and  above 
the  same  is  a  pigeon  house  the  width  of  the  building. 
In  the  feed  and  scratch  room  are  also  portable 
nests.  The  door  in  the  middle  room  is  on  rollers  and 
opens  the  whole  length  of  the  room.  On  the  inside, 
wire  netting  is  placed  across  windows.  The  windows 
can  slide  and  are  open  for  summer  use.  Construction 
is  as  follows :  Double  floors  and  between  each  section  a 
thick  layer  of  paper.  Sides  are  built  of  boxing,  then 
papered  and  weather-boarded.  Tlie  roof  is  boarded, 


FIG    32  I       GOOD    WINTER    HOUSE 

papered  and  shingled,  thus  insuring  a  warm  house  for 
winter  layers.  The  cost  of  the  poultry  house  is  thirty 
dollars,  and  is  a  good  investment. 

A  Good  Poultry  House — The  henhouse  here 
shown  (Figure  33)  has  proved  very  satisfactory.  It 
is  twenty  feet  long,  ten  feet  wide,  seven  feet  high  in 
front  and  four  feet  in  rear.  The  scratching  shed  is 
eight  feet  long  and  should  be  on  the  east  side.  The 
window  is  two  by  five  feet  eight  inches,  using  glass 
twelve  by  sixteen  inches.  It  is  one  foot  from  the  floor, 
which  admits  sunshine  over  most  of  the  floor  surface 
and  does  not  give  too  much  light  on  roosts,  which  is 
undesirable.  A  small  door  with  slide  arrangement  is 
cut  beneath  window  for  fowls  to  go  in  and  out.  The 


HOMES  FOR  FARM   POULTRY 


55 


large  door  is  two  by  six  feet ;  another  door  of  like 
dimensions  should  be  cut  in  east  side  of  house  proper 
to  allow  entrance  to  scratching  shed.  In  severe 
weather  a  canvas  can  be  hung  inside  over  the  wire 
front.  Nests  are  arranged  in  the  intervening  spaces, 
eighteen  inches  above  floor,  around  the  front  and 
two  ends. 

The  roosts  are  the  full  length  of  the  rear  and 
extend  six  feet  from  back  wall  toward  the  front. 
These  should  be  three  feet  high  and  built  as  in  the 


FIG  33  :       GOOD   HOUSE   WITH   INTERIOR   FIXTURES 

figure.  This  allows  ample  room  to  clean  underneath 
and  to  lift  out  the  troughs.  The  roosting  poles  are  on 
a  level  and  at  each  end  fitted  snugly  into  sawed  notches. 
All  can  be  easily  removed  for  cleaning,  as  may  the 
bottoms  of  the  nests,  which  have  short  movable  boards 
for  the  floor  of  the  nests.  Drinking  cans  or  troughs 
are  arranged  just  under  the  window;  dust  and  grit 
boxes  likewise.  A  house  similarly  constructed  with  all 
needful  inside  arrangements  can  be  built  for  twenty- 


50  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

five  dollars.  If  lined  with  light  building  paper  it  will 
be  nearly  frost  proof  and  easily  kept  free  of  vermin. 
Any  kind  of  a  floor  can  be  made,  but  the  builder  pre- 
fers a  raised  earthen  floor.  Muck  or  clay  well  packed, 
then  wet  thoroughly,  will  after  drying  make  a  floor  that 
can  be  swept.  Sand  should  be  thrown  over  it  after 
cleaning  and  before  litter  is  put  in  the  house. 

Light  Henhouse — The  building  is  ten  by  thirty 
feet,  with  cement  floor,  covered  with  matched  lumber, 
and  the  inside  is  lathed  and  plastered  overhead  and  on 
the  sides.  Beneath  the  lath  is  tarred  paper.  On  the 
south  side  are  plenty  of  windows,  and  when  the  sun  is 


FIG  34:       INTERIOR  CONTRIVANCES 

shining,  as  the  building  is  practically  air-tight  the  bid- 
dies think  that  the  coldest  day  is  a  summer  one.  The 
roosts  are  of  uniform  hight  and  are  movable.  The  out- 
side of  the  building  is  painted  and  has  a  ventilator  on 
the  roof,  which  makes  it  an  ornament  to  the  farm. 
Being  somewhat  of  a  carpenter,  I  did  the  work  myself, 
which  reduced  the  expense. —  [F.  A.  Smart,  Oswego 
County,  New  York. 

Interior  Contrivances — This  poultry  house  is  a 
balloon  frame  of  two  by  four  joist.  It  is  eighteen  feet 
wide  and  sheathed  w^ith  inch  boards  tightly  fitted  to- 


HOMES   FOR   FARM   POULTRY 


57 


gether,  then  papered  and  sided  tightly.  The  inside  is 
filled  to  top  of  sills  with  fine  stone,  covered  with  dirt. 
The  house  is  divided  into  twelve-foot  pens  the  length 
of  the  building,  with  wire  partitions  between.  There 
is  one  large  window,  a  (Figure  34),  each  side  of  every 
twelve-foot  pen,  two  feet  from  the  sills.  The  pens  are 
ten  feet  high.  There  is  a  tight  floor  overhead,  thickly 
covered  with  sawdust.  Through  the  floor  is  a  ventila- 
ting trap  door,  b,  one  by  twelve  feet,  in  each  pen,  with 
a  rope  and  pulley  attachment  permitting  the  ventilating 
trap  door  to  be  operated  from  the  hallway  on  one  side 
of  the  building.  The  inside  building  is  of  sheathing, 
stuffed  solid  with  sawdust  and  chaff.  There  is  a  self- 


Ko 

•  STS 

d 

I 

HEST5 

), 

fe; 

f( 

) 

A 

i        i 

i 

c 

[. 

_.      S       _i  1  W       i               .  vtf    »  .  u/  .               i          W           ^ 

U1—  Doors          I«—  Water.          ^—  Shutti'.i-*.          W  —Windows. 

shutting  screen  door,  c,  in  each  pen.  The  roosts,  d, 
are  two  by  four,  set  in  notches  and  hung  by  four  half- 
inch  round  irons.  The  roosts  are  all  painted  with  coal 
tar  and  are  removable.  Under  the  roosts  is  a  large 
shelf,  e,  hinged  so  as  to  let  down  to  a  long,  narrow  box, 
/,  for  holding  the  droppings. 

Another  well-arranged  interior  is  shown  at  the 
right  of  Figure  34.  The  owner,  I.  B.  Koons,  Penn- 
sylvania, writes :  "The  upper  part,  in  which  the  fowls 
roost,  is  made  as  air-tight  as  possible,  the  walls  being 


58  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

covered  with  tarred  paper,  so  that  no  air  can  come  in 
from  below  or  at  the  sides. 

"The  ventilator  draws  out  air  from  below  the  hens, 
while  at  the  top  or  peak  of  the  room  I  have  made  an 
opening  to  draw  out  all  the  foul  air  from  the  compart- 
ment in  which  the  hens  roost.  There  is  no  draft 
around  hens  and  in  the  morning-  their  roosting  place 
smells  as  clean  as  at  night.  They  are  very  healthy,  lay 
well  and  have  had  no  sick  fowls  in  the  flock  since  I 
used  this  system.  The  house  is  ten  by  twelve  feet,  with 
a  dust  pen  two  by  seven  feet,  covered  with  glass.  I 
keep  forty  hens  in  this  house,  and  they  have  a  run  of 
about  one-quarter  acre." 

A  Maine  Henhouse — It  is  thirty-six  feet  long  and 
fourteen  feet  wide  (Figure  35),  and  will  accommodate 
fifty  to  sixty  hens.  The  apartments  at  the  ends  are 
called  scratching  rooms,  and  have  no  floor.  The  shut- 
ters are  four  by  four  feet,  hinged  at  the  top,  and  opened 
in  the  daytime  to  admit  sun,  light  and  air;  they  are 
also  opened  on  cloudy  days,  if  it  is  not  too  cold, 


CHAPTER  V 

BANK    AND    SOD    STRUCTURES 

Every  western  farmer  may  have  one  of  these  com- 
fortable houses  (Figure  36)  with  little  cost  and  a 
comparatively  small  amount  of  labor.  The  sod  may  be 
turned  at  any  time  in  the  year  when  the  ground  is 
not  frozen.  A  firm,  well-grassed  sod  is  best,  but  other 
will  do,  the  only  difference  being  in  the  length  of  time 
the  building  will  last.  The  walls  are  laid  up  with 
bricks  of  sod  about  twelve  by  twelve  inches  and  laid 
like  bricks  with  the  exception  of  the  cement,  nothing 
of  that  kind  being  used.  The  sod  is  turned  down  and 
the  walls  are  made  twenty-four  inches  thick,  two  layers 
of  sod  being  used. 

Timbers  are  used  above  openings  for  doors  and 
windows ;  and  casings  are  used  as  a  frame.  The  roof 
should  slope  about  two  feet  and  should  project  on  all 
sides  at  least  two  feet  to  protect  walls  from  moisture. 
Rafters  and  three-fourths-inch  lumber,  covered  with 
dirt  or  sod,  make  the  roof.  Poles  and  brush  may  be 
used  instead  of  lumber,  but  are  not  so  good. 

It  is  fourteen  by  thirty-eight  feet,  outside  dimen- 
sions, and  contains  two  rooms.  The  roosting  room  is 
ten  by  eighteen  feet,  inside  measure,  and  contains  two 
sections  of  swinging  roosts,  each  six  by  eight  feet, 
leaving  a  passage  at  each  end  and  a  three-foot  passage 
the  whole  length  on  the  south,  where  the  three  windows 
are  located.  There  is  a  stovepipe  ventilator  in  each 
room,  which  can  be  partially  closed  in  winter.  The 
roosts  are  about  two  and  one-half  feet  from  the  floor 


6o 


POULTRY   ARCHITECTURE 


and  swung  on  fence  wire  from  the  cross  sections  at 
the  roof. 

Opening  from  the  roosting  room  is  the  scratch- 
ing and  nest  room,  which  is  ten  by  fourteen  feet,  inside 
measure.  In  summer  it  is  used  only  for  nests.  These 
nests  run  the  entire  length  of  the  room  on  the  north 
and  across  the  ends,  except  where  the  doors  interfere. 
They  are  two  feet  deep — if  fowls  are  large  they  could 
be  lower — and  filled  up  about  one  foot  with  cut  straw. 


FIG   36:      A   PRAIRIE    HENHOUSE 

On  the  south  are  two  full-sized  windows,  giving  plenty 
of  light  and  sunshine  for  winter,  and  easily  blinded 
in  summer,  when  so  much  light  is  not  desirable. 
Floors  are  of  dirt,  covered  with  straw  for  scratching 
or  swept  clean  when  summer  comes.  Fowls  will  lay 
the  whole  season.  They  are  warm  in  winter  and  cool 
in  summer,  and  they  seem  to  like  the  dirt  walls. 

Henhouse  of  a  Kansas  Fanner — The  sod  house 
shown  in  the  illustration    (Figure  37)   I  have  found 


15ANK     A.\J>     SOI)     STKL'CTl'KKS  6 1 

healthful,  convenient,  and  large  enough  to  accommo- 
date seventy-five  to  one  hundred  hens.  In  a  bank 
sloping  southwest  1  made  an  excavation  twelve  feet 
east  and  west  by  twenty-two  feet  north  and  south.  At 
the  southwest  corner  the  excavation  was  on  a  level 
with  the  surface  of  the  ground ;  at  the  north  side  it 
was  two  and  one-half  feet  deep.  Around  the  edges  I 
built  a  sod  wall,  making  its  upper  edge  five  feet  above 
the  floor.  I  roofed  the  north  half  with  boards  and 
covered  with  tar  paper.  A  border  of  sod  was  placed  all 
around  the  edge,  then  the  whole  overlaid  with  six 
inches  of  gypsum  taken  from  a  pit  near  by.  In  the 
south  half  of  the  roof  I  put  two  hotbed  sashes  three 


FIG   3/  :       HENHOUSE   OF   KANSAS    FARMER 

by  nine  feet  and  covered  the  remainder  of  the  space  the 
same  as  the  north  side.  In  the  walls  were  placed  two 
glass  windows  and  a  door  with  glass  in  the  upper  part. 
In  the  north  wall  there  is  a  window  level  with  the 
roosts  eighteen  inches  high  and  five  feet  long.  It  is 
used  for  ventilation  in  the  summer.  In  winter  it  is 
covered  with  boards  and  banked  with  earth.  The  win- 
dows are  hinged  and  covered  with  heavy  wire  netting. 
I  have  an  extra  lattice  door  for  summer. 

The  walls  were  given  two  coats  of  gypsum  or 
poor  man's  plaster  (very  abundant  in  the  southwest), 
and  when  dry  a  heavy  whitewash  was  applied  to  fill 
all  cracks.  Roosts  occupy  the  north  half.  The  south 


62 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


half  under  glass  is  reserved  for  nests  and  a  feeding 
goound  during  stormy  weather.  The  floor  under  the 
roosts  is  made  of  gypsum,  cement  and  sand. — [E.  H. 
H.,  Kansas. 

Making  a  Nebraska  Sod  House — Plow  the  sod 
one  foot  wide  and  four  inches  deep,  and  for  a  three- 
foot  wall  cut  with  spade  into  two-foot  lengths.  Build 
around  the  four  sides  (Figure  38),  keeping  the  walls 


FIG  38  I      A  NEBRASKA  SOD  HOUSE 

as  near  the  same  hight  as  possible,  so  they  will  settle 
alike.  Always  lay  the  grassy  side  of  the  sod  down. 
Smooth  off  with  spade,  filling  cracks  with  the  dirt, 
making  a  solid,  compact  wall.  Lay  the  sod  as  you 
would  brick,  so  there  will  be  no  running  cracks.  Leave 
places  for  door  and  windows  slightly  narrower  than 
the  frames,  sod  up  till  almost  to  the  top,  then  fit  in  the 
frames  tight,  and  over  each  put  a  board,  one  two  by 
twelve  by  six  inches  will  do,  to  support  the  weight  of 
the  sod  above. 


[BANK  AND  SOD  STRUCTURES 


Have  the  roof  project  a  foot  over  the  walls,  so  as 
to  drain  the  water  well  off  the  top  of  the  walls.  Grooved 
boards,  battened,  make  a  good  roof,  although  many 
prefer  to  cover  the  boards  with  tar  felt  and  then  a 
layer  of  sod.  The  only  objection  to  this  is  that  after 
two  or  three  years  the  tar  felt  has  to  be  renewed  and 
new  sod  added.  But  it  makes  the  warmest  roof,  and 
if  carefully  put  on  sheds  water  as  well  as  a  shingled 
roof.  The  small  drawing  shows  window  as  it  appears 
within,  and  indicates  supports  for  roosts. 


'i 


K\JS 


.^  VJ 


&8 


FIG  39  :       HOUSE  IN  A  SAND  BANK 

House  in  a  Sand  Bank — A  henhouse  which  com- 
bines warmth  and  cheapness  can  be  made  as  follows, 
and  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  engraving,  Figure 
39 :  Select  a  well-drained  sand  bank  sloping  to  the 
south  or  southeast.  Perhaps  such  a  place  is  handy, 
from  which  quantities  of  sand  or  gravel  have  been 
taken  until  there  is  already  dug  a  place  large  enough 
to  put  up  just  what  is  wanted — a  henhouse  entirely  in 
the  sand,  except  the  front.  The  only  objectionable 
feature  in  a  building  of  this  kind  is  dampness,  and  from 
the  start  this  must  be  provided  against  carefully  by  a 
thorough  system  of  drainage,  both  above  and  below. 


64  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

I/or  this  purpose  tiles  are  almost  indispensable.  If  the 
water  can  be  kept  away,  the  fowls  will  find  the  sand 
agreeable  and  the  situation  warm  and  healthful,  while 
its  exposure  to  the  southern  sun  will  give  the  layers  a 
chance  to  bask  and  exercise  all  day  and  they  will  lay 
as  well  as  during  summer,  provided  their  food  be  of 
the  right  kind  and  varied.  On  starting,  draw  from 
the  woods  enough  seven-foot  posts  to  set  one  every  five 
feet  across  the  space  to  be  occupied  by  the  front  of 
the  building.  Or  these  may  be  placed  in  position 
standing  squarely  with  sawed  ends  on  flat  stones  im- 
bedded in  the  sand.  On  top  of  them  spike  a  six-inch 
pole  the  length  of  the  front  of  the  building. 

Another  row  of  posts  of  the  seme  length  or  per- 
haps one  foot  shorter  should  be  placed  further  into  the 
sand  bank  where  the  back  of  the  building  is  to  come, 
with  a  rider  on  top  as  mentioned  for  the  plate  on  the 
first  posts,  or  if  an  abundance  of  stone  be  handy,  this 
row  of  posts  can  be  replaced  by  a  wall.  Wood,  how- 
ever, is  preferable,  because  it  doesn't  gather  and  hold 
moisture  so  much,  but  is  more  expensive  because  less 
durable.  Across  these  horizontal  top  poles  run  heavy, 
rough  timbers  six  to  ten  inches  in  diameter.  These 
will  not  need  sawing,  and  can  be  rudely  spiked  or 
pinned  to  the  poles.  The  entire  structure  must  be 
heavily  built,  because  it  is  to  be  roofed  with  sand  and 
sod.  Above  the  rafters,  which  are  as  well  flat  as  any 
other  way,  should  be  laid  a  quantity  of  slabs  or  straight 
poles  close  together.  On  these  may  be  thrown  a  layer 
of  sweet  fern  or  hardback  brush,  or  even  a  mat  of  dried 
leaves,  to  be  followed  by  two  feet  or  more  of  sand. 
Over  the  sand  spread  at  least  six  inches  of  good  loam, 
and  sod  over  this. 

It  should  be  mounded  enough  to  shed  rain  toler- 
ably well  and  will  look  on  top  like  old-fashioned  out- 
door cellars  so  common  in  the  Hudson  river  valley. 


BANK     AND     SOD     STRUCTTHES 


0=1 


The  sides  may  be  treated  in  the  same  manner  with 
slabs  and  leaves  and  heavily  banked  with  sand.  The 
entire  job  can  be  sodded  so  that  it  will  be  far  from  ugly 
in  appearance.  The  front  should  slope  gently  from  the 
top  of  the  posts  to  the  ground,  the  bottom  being  about 
two  feet  from  the  posts.  From  this  point  the  earth 
should  rapidly  descend  so  that  all  water  may  be  car- 
ried away  from  the  building.  Two  windows  of  good 


FIG  40:       WINDPROOF   STRUCTURE 

size,  but  not  too  large,  and  a  door  may  be  placed  in 
front  of  this  building,  and  roosts  and  nests  within. 

A  Wind  proof  Poultry  House — It  is  built  of  five 
pairs  of  two  by  four-inch  scantling  set  two  and  one- 
half  feet  apart  on  either  side  of  the  ridgepole  of  the 
same  stuff  (Figure  40).  These  are  covered  with 
boards  and  the  ends  beveled.  The  structure  is  built 
over  a  pit  two  and  one-half  feet  deep  and  banked  over 
with  the  earth  from  the  pit  to  the  depth  of  two  feet, 


66 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


excepting  the  south  end,   which  is  furnished 
door  made  of  two  sashes  of  glass. 

The  doorway  is  recessed  and  fitted  with  a  solid 
door  (outside  of  the  glass  door)  to  be  closed  in  very 
cold  weather  at  night.  Ventilation  is  provided  bv  a 
piece  of  two-inch  tin  leader  passing  through  the  roof 
and  the  earth  banking.  It  should  be  kept  clear  of  snow. 


FIG  41  :       A  LOG   CHICKEN   HOUSE 


A  roost  runs  the  length  of  the  building,  eighteen 
inches  above  the  floor,  and  the  nest  boxes  are  placed 
just  above  it.  The  house  is  nine  feet  wide,  eight  feet 
high  and  thirteen  feet  long,  and  holds  twenty  fowls. 

A  Log  Chicken  House — I  cut  all  logs  exactly  the 
required  length.  The  average  size  was  about  seven 
inches  in  diameter.  I  did  all  the  work  alone.  First 
lay  the  sill  logs  and  toenail  on  the  corners,  making 
the  logs  two  by  four  by  eight  feet  and  two  by  six  by 


BANK    AND    SOD    STRUCTURES  07 

eight  feet  (Figure  41).  Spike  these  two  together  and 
brace  from  the  inside  so  they  will  be  perfectly  plumb. 
Now  start  putting  up  the  logs  one  side  at  a  time,  or 
build  all  the  sides  evenly  as  you  go.  Drive  a  spike  into 


FIG   42: 


BANK    WALL    HOUSE 


FIG  43  I       INTERIOR  OF  BANK  WALL  HOUSE 

your  two  by  four  and  two  by  six-inch  sills  and  into  your 
logs  as  fast  as  you  go,  so  as  to  hold  them  in  place. 
You  can  put  a  round  log  in  the  corner  six  inches  in 
diameter  and  eight  feet  long.  After  the  house  has  been 
built,  spike  the  two  by  four  on  this  and  also  the  plate 
logs.  Peel  the  logs. —  [A.  L.  Lord,  Wisconsin. 


68 


I'U U LTR V  ARC II ITECT  U RE 


A  Bank  Wall  House — This  building  (Figure  42) 
is  ten  by  twenty  feet  with  seven-foot  posts  in  front,  a 
three-foot  wall  and  four-foot  posts  in  the  rear.  The 
doors  at  the  ends  should  be  boarded  up  and  entrance 
made  to  the  two  rooms  from  the  hallway,  which  may 
be  used  as  a  hatching  room.  Still  better,  abolish  all 
doors  in  front  and  enter  through  an  end  door.  Figure 
43  shows  the  interior  arrangement.  The  hatching 
room  may  be  used  to  store  feed  when  not  used  for 
hatching.  The  hatching  nests  will  be  used  for  laying 


FIG  44  :       WARM   AND  CONVENIENT  BUILDING 

until  a  hen  wishes  to  sit,  when  they  may  be  closed  to 
the  roosting  room  and  opened  at  the  other  end.  These 
nests  may  be  raised  three  inches  from  the  ground.  The 
extra  nests  are  raised  fifteen  inches.  Coops  may  be 
built  under  them  to  shut  up  sitters. 

Warm  and  Convenient — The  poultry  house  shown 
herewith  (Figure.  44)  is  built  into  a  bank  and  faces 
south.  The  wall  up  to  the  surface  is  of  rough  stone. 
There  is  no  door  at  the  east  end  to  let  in  the  cold,  the 
door  being  on  the  south,  where  the  roof  is  cut  as  for  a 
dormer  window.  One  enters  and  passes  through  to 


BANK     AND     SOD     STRl'tTl'KKS  (*) 

the  back  side  of  the  house,  where  there  is  a  walk  behind 
the  pens.  Such  a  house  can  be  made  any  length,  keep- 
ing- the  pens  equal  in  number  on  each  side  of  the  door- 
way. This  arrangement  probably  gives  the  warmest 
poultry  house  that  can  be  built. 


CHAPTER  VI 

HIGH-GRADE    PLANTS 

Detailed  specifications  for  a  building  carefully 
made  according  to  architect's  plans  are  frequently 
wanted.  The  houses  of  which  descriptions  are  given 
are  in  actual  use,  and  are  both  practical  and  orna- 
mental. The  plans,  in  the  hands  of  an  intelligent  work- 
man, will  give  highly  satisfactory  results.  They  are 
all  business  structures,  including  none  of  those  miser- 
able affairs  in  which  show  takes  the  place  of  utility. 

A  Well-Made  House — The  house  is  made  in  sec- 
tions of  sixteen-foot  length,  and  in  duplication  could 
be  extended  or  shortened,  as  desired,  each  section  being 
suitable  for  flocks  of  ten  to  twenty-five  fowls.  The 
house  comprises  seven  of  these  sixteen-foot  sections, 
and  by  its  construction  can  easily  be  enlarged  or  made 
smaller.  Each  section  being  precisely  alike,  the  draw- 
ings are  made  on  the  basis  of  one  section.  (See  Fig- 
ures 45  to  49  inclusive.) 

The  foundation  is  of  cedar  posts  planted  as  indi- 
cated by  the  plans,  tops  of  posts  being  leveled  off  to 
receive  the  frame.  The  outside  lumber  is  second  qual- 
ity white  pine;  the  inside  lumber  and  framework  are 
hemlock.  The  girder  under  center  of  building  and 
the  sills  are  four  by  six  inches.  Floor  joists  and  roof 
rafters  are  two  by  six  inches,  plates  are  three  by  four 
inches,  wall  studs  two  by  four  inches,  and  partition 
studs  two  by  three  inches,  all  the  above  of  hemlock. 

The  house  being  made  in  sections  of  sixteen  feet, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  cut  the  sills,  plates  and  girders 


HIGH-GRADE     1'LANTS  /I 

to  the  length  required,  and  half  them  together  at  joints, 
so  that  a  saw  could  be  worked  between  the  floor  joists, 
studding  and  rafters,  between  each  section,  and  the 
building  literally  sawed  apart  at  the  end  of  any  sec- 
tion, and  removed  if  desired.  Where  the  sixteen-foot 
sections  join,  the  floor  joists,  wall  studs  and  roof  rafters 
are  doubled,  as  indicated  on  the  plans,  and  in  case  of 
the  removal  of  any  section,  all  that  will  be  necessary 
to  do  is  to  stud  up  the  end  left  open  and  enclose  it. 
Sills  are  laid  on  edge  and  a  one  by  two-inch  furring 
strip  nailed  to  the  lower  edge  of  same,  on  which  the 
floor  joists  are  notched  and  also  well  spiked  to  the 


FIG     45  :       WELL-MADE     IEOTSE.       FRONT     AND     REAR 
ELEVATIONS 

sills.  Floor  joists,  wall  studs  and  roof  rafters  are 
placed  on  centers  as  figured  on  the  plans,  and  all  to 
be  placed  opposite  each  other. 

The  front  of  the  building  is  sheathed  with  one  by 
nine  and  one-half-inch  matched  hemlock  sheathing 
boards,  laid  diagonally  with  the  smooth  side  in,  nailed 
to  each  bearing.  A  one  by  two-inch  strip  is  nailed  on 
the  lower  edge  of  sill  on  which  to  fit  the  sheathing 
down  closely  to  prevent  cold  air  from  running  up 
between  the  cracks.  The  roof  is  sheathed  with  the 
same  kind  of  boards,  laid  the  smooth  side  down,  with 
the  joints  properly  broken  on  the  rafters.  The  front 
of  the  building  is  covered  with  lieavy  resin-sized 


72  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

sheathing  paper,  well  lapped  and  carefully  tacked  on. 
The  roof  is  covered  with  gravel  roofing,  the  roofing 
material  being  confined  with  an  edging  strip  of  one 
by  two-inch  pine  laid  fiat  on  the  outer  edge  of  the 
roof.  All  the  outside  walls  of  the  building  are  cov- 
ered with  one  by  six-inch  "novelty  siding"  nailed  to 
each  bearing,  with  joints  properly  broken  on  bearings. 
The  water  table  is  a  one  by  six-inch  board  with  a 
beveled  drip  on  top,  having  a  lip  worked  on  same  to 
make  the  building  water-tight. 

The  corner  boards  and  the  board  under  the  cor- 
nice molding  were  planted  on,  after  the  building  was 


FIG     46:       WELL-MADE     HOUSE.       END     ELEVATION     AND 
PEN    RUN 

enclosed.  The  cornice  molding  is  a  four-inch  crown 
molding  worked  to  a  stock  pattern  and  put  up  as 
indicated  on  the  drawings.  The  window  and  door 
openings  have  no  trim,  except  at  each  end  of  the  build- 
ing, where  the  trim  was  planted  on  afterward,  same 
as  the  corner  boards,  etc.  At  the  window  and  door 
openings,  the  "novelty  siding"  is  cut  on  the  studs 
three-fourths  of  an  inch,  and  a  half-inch  flat  bead 
is  broken  around  the  openings  to  cover  up  the  end 
wood,  leaving  a  rebate  of  three-fourths  inch  for  the 
doors  and  sash.  Doors  are  hung  with  iron  T  hinges. 
The  floor  is  of  one  by  six-inch  matched  hemlock. 
Windows  and  doors  have  beveled  sills  to  match  the 


HIGH-GRADE     PLANTS  7^ 

drip  on  the  water-table  outside,  and  extending  back 
to  the  line  of  the  inside  of  the  frame  where  they  join 
the  floor  flush.  The  rear  windows  are  of  hotbed  sash, 
glazed  as  shown  in  the  drawings,  and  attached  with 
screw  fastenings  to  permit  being  removed  in  summer 
and  replaced  by  wire  netting. 


FIG  47:       INTERIOR  OF  WELL-MADE  HOUSE 


The  outside  doors  are  made  of  one  by  six-inch 
matched  and  center-beaded  pine  placed  vertically  and 
battened  three  times  in  their  hight.  The  inside  doors 
are  made  of  unplaned  hemlock,  with  one  by  six-inch 
stiles  and  rails,  except  bottom  rail,  which  is  eight 
inches  wide.  The  panels  are  covered  with  wire  net- 
ting. The  small  doors  under  the  hotbed  sash  and 
between  the  different  sections  of  the  building  are  each 


74 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


made  of  pine  board,  eleven  inches  square,  battened 
twice  on  the  inside  with  one  by  two-inch  battens,  and 
leaving  an  opening  ten  inches  square,  through  which 
the  fowls  pass  in  and  out. 

The  partition  along  the  alleyway,  running  the 
entire  length  of  the  house,  is  studded  up  as  shown  on 
the  floor  plan  and  has  a  six-inch  rough  hemlock  board 
at  the  bottom  and  a  two  by  three-inch  scantling  about 
two  inches  above  the  nest  boxes,  and  the  balance  is 
covered  with  wire  netting,  except  opposite  the  pens 


FIG     48:       SECTION     THROUGH     PEN 

below  the  nest  boxes,  where  masons'  laths  are  placed 
flat  way,  about  two  inches  apart,  and  nailed  top  and 
bottom  to  one  by  two-inch  furring  strips  as  shown  on 
" section  through  pen." 

The  partitions  between  the  pens  and  the  roosts 
are  boarded  up  two  feet  high,  with  one  by  twelve-inch 
rough  hemlock  boards,  and  above  are  covered  with 
wire  netting.  The  partitions  back  of  the  roosts  are 
boarded  up  with  the  same  kind  of  boards  to  a  hight  of 
four  feet,  leaving  a  small  door  opening  in  center  as 


HIGH-GRADE     PLANTS 


75 


shown,  ten  inches  square,  the  upper  par^  covered  with 
wire  netting  inside  of  the  studs,  to  prevent  the  fowls 
from  escaping  when  the  hotbed  sash  is  removed  during 
the  warm  weather. 

The  nest  boxes  are  pine,  one-half  inch  thick,  and 
arranged  to  pull  out  like  a  drawer.  Each  box  is 
separate  and  nailed  together  in  the  most  inexpensive 
manner.  Over  the  top  of  the  nest  boxes  place  a  slant- 
ing hood  eighteen  inches  wide,  of  rough  hemlock 
boards  battened  on  the  under  side,  and  put  up  as  shown 
on  "section  through  pen."  The  feed  boxes  are  located 


FIG  49  :       FLAX    SHOWING  ROOSTS 

in  the  alleyway  opposite  the  pens,  and  are  made  of 
pine,  one  inch  thick.    Each  box  is  separate. 

The  roosts  are  made  of  one  and  one-fourth-inch 
spruce  and  are  movable.  The  ends  are  four  inches 
wide  and  notched  out  at  top  to  hook  over  the  scantling 
at  the  top  of  the  boarded  part  of  the  partition  back  of 
the  roosts.  The  bottom  of  the  ends  of  the  roosts  is  cut 
to  fit  the  floor  and  a  hole  is  bored  through  the  same  so 
that  the  roosts  can  be  pinned  to  floor  with  wooden  pins 
which  can  be  easily  removed  and  the  roosts  taken  out 
and  cleaned.  The  slats  of  roosts  are  two  inches  wide, 
set  on  edge  and  rounded  on  top  with  a  jack  plane  and 
well  nailed  to  the  ends  of  the  roosts.  A  spruce  slat 


76 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


one  and  one-fourth  inches  thick  and  two  inches  wide  is 
placed  on  edge  in  front  of  the  nest  hoxes  and  a  short 
distance  from  same,  to  enable  the  fowls  to  reach  the 
nest  boxes  without'  jumping  directly  into  the  boxes. 
The  outside  of  the  building  is  covered  with  dark  green 
oil  stain. 

Business  Poultry  Plant — The  houses  built  by  an 
extensive  poultryman,  G.  H.  Pollard  of  Bristol  county, 
Massachusetts,  are  simple,  substantial  and  practical, 
and  as  cheap  as  a  very  good  house  can  be  made. 

Probably  nothing  better  for  the  cost  can  be  found. 
The  photograph,  Figure  50,  gives  a  general  idea  of  the 


FIG    50  :       BUSINESS    POULTRY    HOUSE 


outside  appearance.  The  inside  is  very  simple,  con- 
sisting of  the  roosting  place  and  a  scratching  shed. 
The  most  striking  feature  of  the  inside  arrangement  is 
the  roost,  which  is  built  with  special  attention  to  se- 
curing warmth  at  night.  It  is  Mr  Pollard's  idea  that 
if  a  laying  hen  is  kept  warm  nights,  she  will  not  mind 
cold  winter  weather,  but  will  keep  right  on  laying, 
hence  he  does  not  pay  much  attention  to  glass  windows 
or  any  other  means  of  producing  warmth  by  day,  but 
the  scratching  shed  is  left  open  in  pleasant  weather  and 
protected  only  by  a  cloth  curtain  on  stormy  days.  In 
some  of  the  sidehill  houses  the  roosting  house  is 
entirely  shut  off  at  night  and  is  banked  on  one  side 


HIGll-r.RADE      PLANTS  77 

with  earth  and  protected  on  the  other  sides  by  cement 
walls  faced  with  roofing  paper,  as  is  the  inside  roof 
also.  There  is  only  one  small  window  in  front.  This 
roosting  place  makes  a  very  tight  and  warm  arrange- 
ment in  winter  and  when  the  hens  leave  it  they  are 
encouraged  to  keep  themselves  warm  by  scratching 
for  grain  thrown  among  the  litter  in  the  outside  pen. 
Apart  from  the  roosting  pen,  the  house  is  built  as 
cheaply  as  possible,  banked  in  the  rear  nearly  up  to 
the  roof  and  covered  on  the  outside  with  roofing  paper 
coated  with  tar,  which  is  considered  the  cheapest  and 
most  satisfactory  roofing  material.  Mr  Pollard  sup- 
plies details  as  follows : 

The  largest  house  is  ninety-six  by  thirteen  and 
one-half  feet  and  is  divided  into  six  pens  thirteen  and 
one-half  by  sixteen  feet,  which  are  subdivided  into  a 
roosting  pen  six  by  thirteen  and  one-half  feet  and  an 
open-front  scratching  shed  ten  by  thirteen  and  one- 
half  feet.  The  house  is  very  plainly  built  and  is  en- 
tirely devoid  of  fancy  features  in  fixtures.  The  frame 
is  of  two  by  four  spruce,  on  sills  of  three  by  four,  set 
on  chestnut  posts.  It  is  eight  feet  high  in  front,  using 
sixteen-foot  boards,  hemlock,  planed  on  one  side  and 
cut  in  two.  The  back  is  five  feet  four  inches,  using 
six-foot  boards  cut  in  three  pieces  to  save  waste  and 
boarded  up  and  down.  The  roof  is  covered  with  three- 
ply  building  felt,  tarred,  and  the  front,  back  and  sides 
of  the  roosting  pens  are  covered  with  two-ply  felt. 
The  cracks  in  the  back  of  the  scratching  pens  are 
battened  to  stop  the  drafts,  and  the  front  is  covered 
with  wire  netting.  A  sash  of  four  to  six  eight  by 
twelve  lights  gives  the  roosting  pen  light. 

The  perch  platform  is  at  the  back,  and  twenty 
inches  from  the  floor,  which  is  of  gravel  filled  in  some 
six:  inches  higher  than  the  outside  level.  There  are 


7  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

no  other  lurnishings,  save  a  few  nests  made  of  soap  or 
spice  boxes,  which  cost  three  cents  each. 

In  the  scratching  sheds  are  small  boxes  of  oyster 
shell  and  the  water  dishes.  The  floor  is  covered  with 
meadow  hay  or  straw  and  the  hens  scratch  in  this  for 
the  hard  grain.  The  soft  food  is  fed  in  troughs  and  is 
made  up  of  variations  of  bran,  meal,  linseed  meal  and 
beef  scrap. 

A  house  of  this  kind  may  be  built  by  anyone  a 
little  handy  with  tools,  and  covers  all  the  necessary 
features  for  the  comfort  and  care  of  the  hens.  The 
doors  open  from  the  scratching  sheds  to  the  roosting 
rooms,  and  from  one  roosting  room  to  the  other. 
There  is  a  scratching  shed  on  each  end  of  house  and 
the  roosting  rooms  adjoin  each  other,  thus  taking  them 
away  from  the  outside  ends  and  gaining  all  the  warmth 
possible  from  position.  Of  course  this  house  could 
be  extended  to  any  length  desired.  The  runs  are  on 
the  back  side  of  the  house,  as  in  winter  the  scratching 
shed  furnishes  open-air  exercise,  and  in  summer  they 
get  some  shelter  from  the  hot  sun  and  warm  south 
winds  by  living  on  the  back  side  of  the  house. 

Another  advantage  gained  comes  from  the  possi- 
bility of  walking  along  in  front  of  the  building  and 
throwing  the  whole  grains  through  the  netting  into  the 
scratching  sheds  without  the  trouble  of  opening  and 
shutting  gates  or  doors.  In  this  way  a  house  of  two 
hundred  feet  could  be  fed  a  dry  feed  in  five  to  twenty 
minutes  and  the  work  well  done. 

A  Model  Poultry  House — The  building,  shown  in 
Figures  51  to  54  inclusive,  is  set  on  posts  three  feet 
above  the  ground,  so  the  chickens  can  congregate 
underneath  the  main  floor,  giving  to  each  section  a 
ground  floor  twelve  by  sixteen  feet.  This  double 
house  is  intended  for  fifty  chickens,  twenty-five  in  each 
section.  The  nests  and  feed  boxes  are  accessible 


FIG  51  :       FRONT  ELEVATION  OF  MODEL  IIOl'SK 

!'<    V  g'-O" 


FIG   52  :       GROUND   PLAN   OF   MODEL   HOUSE 


CTt*. 

FIG  53  :       SIDE  VIEW  AND  FLOOR  SYSTEM 


U    U    Li    U    0 

FIG  54:       CROSS  SECTION   OF   MODEL  HOUSE 


80  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

from  the  hallway,  and  the  droppings  froftitfre  perches 
are  easily  removed  at  the  rear  of  the  building:  The 
cost  of  this  building,  finished  in  a  workmanlike  man- 
ner, is  less  than  fifty  dollars,  including  the  purchase  of 
the  materials  required.  The  bill  of  materials  for  a 
poultry  house  twelve  by  sixteen  feet  is  as  follows : 

Inches        Feet        Feet 

Hemlock,  30  pieces 3x  4  16  480 

8  pieces    3x4  12  96 

3  pieces    3x  8  12  75 

8  pieces    2x  4  12  64 

4  pieces    2x4  16  44     • 

boards   1x12  16  800 

stripping    . . . 1x3  16  80 

stripping    1x2  16  160 

Total 1796 

Siding,  flooring  and  dressed  boards  210 

Roofing,  three-ply  felt  (square  feet)  275 

Wire  netting  i, 350 

Netting,  staples,  hinges,  etc 20  Ibs 

Nails,    assorted    sizes 25    ' 

10  locust  posts,  6x6  feet  6  inches  long 

•  The  house  built  had  partly  second-hand  material 
and  so  cost  not  more  than  twenty-five  dollars.  The 
front  elevation  ( Figure  51)  shows  the  house  with  the 
yard  on  each  side,  while  the  ground  plan  (Figure  52) 
shows  the  general  interior  arrangement. 

A  Practical  Poultry  Home — The  building  shown 
in  the  illustration  (Figure  55)  is  on  one  of  the  farms 
owned  by  Mr  I.  S.  Long  of  Lebanon  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  first  two  houses  are  twelve  by  fourteen 
feet,  one  of  which  is  used  for  laying  hens.  In  the 
middle  is  a  feed  box  where  the  hens  are  fed.  The  other 
house  is  a  roosting  place  and  is  cleaned  every  three  or 
four  days.  After  cleaning,  the  roosts  are  sprinkled 
witii  lime  or  coal  ashes.  The  long,  low  shed  is  sixty- 
six  feet  long  by  twelve  feet  wide.  During  winter,  the 
floor  is  covered  deep  with  straw  and  chaff.  Grain  is 
thrown  on  this,  and  the  hens  are  compelled  to  work 
to  get  out  their  feed. 


CHAPTER  VII 

ADDITIONS    AND    EXTRAS 

Poultry  could  often  be  kept  in  the  second  story  of 
a  building  if  access  to  the  ground  could  be  secured. 
The  cut  (Figure  56)  shows  an  easy  grade  up  to  an 
elevated  door.  The  top  and  bottom  boards  are  shown 
in  place,  but  the  entire  front  should  be  covered  with 
slats.  These  can  extend  from  the  top  board  down  to 


FIG   56:       RUNWAY   TO   SECOND   STORY   AND   UPPER  ROOM 


the  bcttom  board.  The  grade  is  so  easy  that  fowls  will 
readily  pass  up  or  down.  By  this  plan  a  building  can 
often  be  made  to  hold  two  flocks  instead  of  one. 

In  a  barn  or  stable  loft  one  can  fit  up  a  warm  and 
sunny  room  for  early  chicks,  as  shown  at  right  of  Fig- 
ure 56.  Low  windows  are  put  in  under  the  eaves,  and 
light  studding  is  set  up  as  suggested,  being  nailed  to 
the  rafters  for  the  roof  of  the  chicken  room.  Simply 
lay  boards  in  place  for  the  top,  and  fill  in  the  space 
above  with  hay.  Board  up  in  front,  leaving  openings 
for  doors.  Cover  the  floor  with  chaff,  and  put  the  hens 


ADDITIONS    AND    EXTRAS 


»3 


and  their  chicks  in  here  during  February  and  March, 
and  April,  too,  in  the  case  of  some  states.  The  broods 
will  do  much  better  here  than  on  the  cold,  wet  ground. 

Adding  a  Scratching  Pen — The  cut  (Figure  57) 
shows  the  ordinary  farm  poultry  house,  to  which  an 
addition  has  been  made  in  the  form  of  a  scratching 
shed,  for  use  not  only  in  the  winter  season,  but  also 
during  rain  storms  at  other  times  of  year. 

Such  an  open  shed  is  also  most  convenient  as  a 
roosting  place  for  growing  chickens  during  the  sum- 


FIG   57  :       HOUSE   WITH   SCRATCHING   SHED 

mer.  The  front  can  have  a  frame,  covered  with  cotton 
cloth,  fitted  to  the  opening  and  hinged  at  the  top,  to 
be  let  down  at  night  in  summer  if  desired,  and  on 
stormy  days  in  winter,  when  snow  would  be  likely  to 
blow  in  if  the  front  of  the  shed  were  left  open.  The 
cost  of  a  shed  built  in  this  way  is  very  small,  as  no  floor 
is  laid. 

Poultry  House  Additions — The  cut  at  the  right  of 
Figure  58  shows  a  way  to  utilize  buildings  already 
existing  when  constructing  a  poultry  house.  A  hay 
barn  or  other  structure  having  a  long  side  toward  the 


84  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

south  can  be  used  as  in  the  case  shown  here,  where  the 
high  side  of  the  poultry  house  has  its  boarding  and 
framing  already  furnished  free  of  cost.  There  is 
another  great  advantage  in  building  poultry  houses  in 
this  way ;  the  added  warmth  that  is  thus  secured.  In 
cold  regions  this  is  a  matter  of  great  importance,  mak- 
ing this  plan  exceedingly  useful. 

The  open  summer  shed  shown  in  Figure  58  at  the 
left  was  recently  seen  in  operation,  and  answering  its 
purpose  admirably.  A  "shed  roof"  was  placed  upon  a 
corner  of  a  board  fence,  the  open  side  being  toward 
the  south.  Here  was  protection  for  the  fowls  and  cool 
quarters  for  the  summer.  A  wire  fence  met  the  two 


FIG  58:      SHELTER  AND   LEAN-TO 

sides  of  the  board  fence,  making  house  and  yard  all 
in  one  inclosure.  Extra  summer  colonies  can  thus 
easily  and  cheaply  be  kept. 

It  is  quite  common  to  appropriate  the  sunny  side  of 
the  barn,  building  out  toward  the  south  and  eastward, 
for  an  aspect,  which  requires  only  a  pitched  roof  and 
low  front,  with  the  ends  well  boarded  and  seam- 
battened,  to  render  the  inclosure  quite  comfortable, 
stormproof,  and  sufficiently  spacious  for  winter  uses. 
In  summer  this  can  be  used  for  laying  and  roosting  pur- 
poses. If  kept  clean  and  free  from  vermin,  it  answers 
very  well,  costs  but  a  trifle,  and  may  be  of  any  size  that 
the  barn  side  will  afford  for  the  back  of  it.  There 
should  be  a  few  sashes  inserted  in  front  or  at  the  ends, 


ADDITIONS     AND     EXTRAS  05 

where  the  sun  can  shine  in,  and  this  will  make  an  eco- 
nomical house,  as  well  as  a  useful  one,  in  many  cases. 

Preparing  House  for  Winter — Many  farmers  can- 
not afford  to  build  a  suitable  house.  There  is  the  mate- 
rial about  almost  any  farm  for  making  the  most  open 
house  one  of  the  warmest.  There  is  no  expense 
attached  to  it  except  the  labor. 

At  each  corner  of  the  house  (Figure  59)  and  about 
two  feet  out,  set  a  post  that  will  extend  well  above  the 
eaves.  If  the  coop  is  large  enough  to  make  it  necessary, 


FIG   59:      PROTECTED   COOP 

other  posts  of  a  uniform  hight  and  at  the  same  distance 
from  the  walls  of  the  coop  can  be  set  in  the  ground. 
The  posts  should  not  be  more  than  from  six  to  eight 
feet  apart.  Then  about  six  inches  from  the  ground 
staple  a  smooth  wire  to  .the  posts,  and  another  about 
two  feet  above,  and  so  on  to  the  top  of  the  posts,  requir- 
ing five  or  six  wires.  Then  fill  in  between  the  posts  and 
wires  and  the  coop  with  hay  or  straw.  Small  poles  or 
pieces  of  waste  boards  can  be  woven  in  the  wires  to 
keep  the  hay  in  place.  When  the  eaves  are  reached, 
some  material  that  will  lead  off  the  water  should  be  put 


86 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


on   top.      Long   slough   grass   has   been   found   good 
for  this. 

By  setting  a  post  each  side  of  the  door  frame,  and 
one  to  correspond  with  each  in  a  line  with  the  outside 
posts,  and  boarding  up  each  side  and  fixing  the  top  to 
be  covered  with  hay,  the  door  of  the  coop  will  be 
guarded  from  the  cold.  Of  course  an  outside  door  of 
some  sort  will  be  necessary.  The  windows  can  be  pro- 
vided for  in  the  same  way  or  a  box  of  some  rough 


FIG  6ot      RUN  OF  SASH   AND  STRAW 

lumber   be   made   and   set   in    as   the   banking   up   is 
being  done. 

Aside  from  a  place  reasonably  warm  to  roost  in, 
chickens,  to  do  well,  should  have  a  warm,  sunny  place 
in  which  to  exercise  on  warm  days.  Such  a  place  can 
be  made  each  side  the  coop  in  the  shape  of  a  lean-to 
facing  the  south.  Set  a  line  of  posts  the  length  desired 
to  make  the  lean-to,  and  spike  two  by  fours  across  the 
top,  from  one  post  to  another,  six  to  eight  feet  from  the 


ADDITIONS     AND     EXTRAS  oj 

ground.  Then  cut  the  poles  of  a  length  to  make  the 
desired  pitch  to  the  roof  and  lay  one  end  over  the  two 
by  fours  (it  is  well  to  notch  the  under  sides  so  there 
will  be  no  danger  of  slipping),  letting  the  other  end  rest 
on  the  ground.  Lay  fine-limbed  brush  across  these,  and 
upon  this  put  the  hay  or  straw-  covering.  In  this  place 
can  be  put  up  nests  and  a  dust  box  fixed  and  filled  for 
them  to  wallow  in.  The  chickens,  too,  can  be  fed  here. 
Cheap  Winter  Run — Figure  60  shows  an  easy  way 
to  make  a  sunny  winter  run  for  poultry  at  little  expense, 
either  of  money,  time  or  labor.  Some  old  window  sash 
is  set  up  for  the  front,  and  the  top  is  covered  with  straw 


FIG  6l  I      PROTECTED  SCRATCHING  SHEDS 

or  corn  stalks.  Make  the  top  strong  enough  to  hold  the 
weight  of  the  snow  that  may  fall  upon  it.  If  there  is  no 
tight  board  fence  at  hand,  the  back  can  be  boarded 
roughly  and  then  banked  right  up  to  and  over  the  top 
with  straw  or  other  material. 

Protected  Scratching  Sheds — The  idea  of  an  open 
scratching  shed  for  poultry  has  come  to  stay.  Con- 
tinuous poultry  houses,  with  shed  roofs,  are  now  built 
with  two  open  scratching  sheds  side  by  side,  then  two 
pens,  then  two  open  sheds,  and  so  on.  A  section  show- 
ing two  sheds,  one  each  for  the  perns  on  either  side,  is 


88  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

given  in  .Figure  61.  The  special  point  brought  out 
here  is  the  cotton  cloth  screen,  or  door,  that  closes  the 
front  of  each  shed  in  stormy,  very  cold  or  blustering 
weather.  They  are  hinged  at  the  top  and  are  turned  up 
to  the  ceiling  when  the  weather  is  suitable.  Drifting 
snows  are  kept  out  by  putting  down  the  screens,  while 
the  outside  air  can  come  in  and  the  light  also.  An  open 
shed  in  a  snowy  latitude  without  such  a  protection  is 
almost  useless  during  the  greater  part  of  the  winter, 
unless  one  keeps  shoveling  snow. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

FOR    INCUBATORS     AND     BROODERS 

The  buildings  of  a  large  establishment  for  artificial 
hatching  and  rearing  should  be  arranged  with  especial 
reference  to  convenience.  A  few  steps  saved  by  a  care- 


BREEDWG  HOUS£ 

KILLING  HOU3C. 


\  RESIDENCE. 


GROW/NO  HOUSE. 


fttDHOVSE. 


m 

INCUBATO*  CELLAR. 


BROODER  HOUSE. 


FIG    62:       PLAN     OF    DUCK    OR    BROODER     BUILDINGS 

fill  plan  of  building  with  due  reference  to  location,  be- 
comes an  important  factor  of  success  when  applied  to 
the  numberless  dailv  errands  to  and  fro,  Buildings  to 


9O  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

be  often  visited,  the  incubator  room,  for  instance, 
should  be  near  the  dwelling.  All  the  buildings  should 
be  so  arranged  that  the  attendant  can  do  the  routine 
work  by  a  systematic  plan,  with  no  waste  of  time  or 
effort.  The  illustration  (Figure  62)  shows  the  actual 
arrangement  of  a  large  plant  to  which  allusion  is  made 
in  Bulletin  64  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. Its  convenience  and  compactness  are  seen  at 
a  glance. 

Improved  Incubator  House — Figure  63  shows  a 
plan  for  obviating  the  inconvenience  of  rising  tem- 
perature in  the  incubator  house  when  the  sun  is  shin- 


FIG  63:      DOUBLE  ROOF  INCUBATOR  HOUSE 

ing,  especially  late  in  the  spring  or  in  the  summer. 
Then  it  is  difficult  to  keep  a  uniform  heat  in  the  ma- 
chines, as  the  house  becomes  overheated  from  the  effect 
of  the  sun  upon  the  roof.  A  simple  way  out  of  the 
difficulty  is  to  put  on  an  additional  roof,  leaving  an  air 
space  between  the  two.  The  inner  roof  can  be  covered 
with  cheap  boar.ds  and  roofing  paper,  with  lath  battens. 
The  outer  may  have  shingles  over  a  layer  of  building 
paper. 

Banked  Incubator  Room — In  Figure  64  is  shown 
an  incubator  room  that  is  built  on  the  surface  of  the 


FOR   ixcrn.vroks    AND    BROODKRS  91 

ground,  and  yet  is  surrounded  by  earth,  banked  up 
against  its  stone  walls.  It  is  banked  on  three  sides, 
leaving  one  side  unbanked  for  entrance  door  and  a 
window.  The  incubator  room  need  not  be  large,  so  the 
labor  of  banking  it  in  this  way  will  not  be  great.  Many 
are  not  able  to  secure  a  suitable  place  underground  for 
a  cellar,  and  for  such  the  above  plan  will  prove  advan- 
tageous. 

A  Successful  Incubator  House,  illustrated  in  Fig- 
ure 65,  is  in  use  by  an  extensive  woman  poultry  farmer, 
Mrs  J.  Fairbank,  Oregon.  It  is  a  combination  incu- 
bator cellar,  water  tank  and  windmill  tower.  The  two- 


FIG    64:       BANKED    INCUBATOR    ROOM 

story  building  is  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet,  with  a  one 
thousand-chick  capacity  hatching  cellar,  a  tank  in  the 
second  story  which  holds  the  water  supply  for  the 
whole  farm,  and  a  windmill  on  the  roof  to  perform  all 
the  pumping. 

A  double  brooder  house  is  shown  in  Figure  66, 
with  walk  in  the  center  and  pens  on  either  side,  and 
with  heater  at  the  end.  Many  prefer  this  plan  to  the 
single  brooder  house,  as  the  care  and  attention  required 
for  the  youngsters  is  much  less  and  the  cost  of  heating 
is  reduced,  one  heater  being  sufficient  for  both  lines  of 
pipes.  Then,  again,  this  latter  plan  shortens  the  length 


92  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

of  the  building  by  one-half  and  makes  the  work  more 
concentrated. 

Combined  Brooder  and  Growing  House — Figure 
67  shows  a  successful  plan  for  a  combination  building. 
The  rows  of  brooder  pens  are  at  the  right,  while  the 
large  pens  and  yards  are  at  the  left.  In  a  duck  plant 
the  right  half  of  the  buildings  is  used  for  the  ducklings 


FIG  65  I       INCUBATOR  HOUSE  AND  TANK 

as  soon  as  they  are  old  enough  to  endure  a  lower  tem- 
perature than  that  of  the  brooders.  In  a  broiler  plant, 
the  use  of  the  buildings  may  be  similar,  or  the  large 
pens  may  be  used  for  laying  stock. 

The  heater  and  feed  room  are  between  the  two 
parts  of  the  building,  the  heater  being  in  a  pit  beneath 
the  feed  room.  Pipes  run  into  both  parts  of  the  build- 


FOR     INCUBATORS     AND     BROODERS  Q3 

ing1,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  lines.  The  pipes  in  the 
right  half  of  the  building-  are  raised  two  or  three  feet 
from  the  floor,  and  a  lower  temperature  is  maintained 
as  compared  with  the  brooders. 

The  brooder  box  (Figure  68)  is  next  to  the  pas- 
sageway, or  walk,  on  each  side,  and  runs  the  entire 
length  of  the  building.  This  box  is  thirty  inches  wide 
and  eight  inches  high;  the  sides  are  seven  inches  high 
and  nailed  securely  ;  the  top  of  the  cover  is  nailed  across 
with  cleats  to  make  it  substantial,  aad  the  cover  has  an 


LLLLJdihl'JJ-l  I  II  II  m- 


FIG  66  :   DOUBLE  BROODER  HOUSE 


inch  strip  nailed  underneath  in  front  and  back  to  keep  it 
in  position.  These  strips  r.est  against  the  seven-inch 
sides  and  make  the  brooder  snug"  and  tight  when  closed. 
The  heating  pipes  are  directly  beneath  the  cover  and  are 
two-inch  pipes,  flow  and  return.  Some  prefer  one-inch 
pipes,  using  two  flows  and  two  returns.  When  three 
pipes  are  used  they  should  be  about  eight  inches  apart 
from  center  to  center.  These  pip.es  rest  on  the  partition 
boards  of  the  pens.  The  front  of  the  brooder,  leading 
into  the  pens,  is  cut  out  in  the  center  about  four  inches 


94 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


deep  and  four  feet  long,  while  the  ends  and  the  other 
side  are  solid,  being  seven  inches  high.  The  construc- 
tion of  the  brooder  is  clearly  shown  in  b  with  cover 
removed,  while  c  shows  cover.  The  heater  is  located  at 
the  end  of  building. 

A  pipe  brooder  house,  well  liked  at  one  of  the 
eastern  experiment  stations,  is  shown  in  the  combina- 
tion drawing  (Figure  69),  in  which  dimensions  and 
interior  construction  are  indicated.  The  hot  water  sys- 
tem is  used,  but  the  small  lamp  brooders  may  be  used 


1 

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f 

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N 

5 

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p 

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N 

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P 

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5 

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=-=-, 

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S 

FIG    67:       COMBINATION    BROODER    BUILDING 


if  preferred.  The  heating  pipes  extend  the  length  of 
the  building  under  the  covers,  b  b  b.  Through  exit,  c, 
the  chicks  reach  a  twenty-foot  run  inclosed  with  two- 
foot  board  and  netting  above.  One  of  these  houses  will 
accommodate  about  five  hundred  chicks  while  small. 

Houses  for  Single  Brooders — These  little  build- 
ings, described  by  C.  E.  Matteson  of  Wisconsin,  are 
scattered  over  his  place  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
apart,  so  that  one  colony  will  not  interfere  with  the 
other  at  feeding  time,  and  each  flock  will  go  to  its  own 
house  at  night.  (See  building  at  left  of  Figure  70.) 


FIG   68  :       CONSTRUCTION    OF    BROODER    BOX 


90  POULTRY   ARCHITECTURE 

The  dimensions  are  six  by  six  feet,  with  shed  roof 
rive  feet  high  at  front  or  south  side  and  three  feet  high 
on  north.  Sills  are  two  by  six,  and  the  house  is 
studded  with  two  by  four,  two  feet  on  center,  and  sided 
with  six-inch  drop  siding. 

The  front  has  a  window  nine  by  twelve  feet,  set 
eight  inches  above  the  sill,  so  as  to  leave  place  for  the 
chicks  to  get  to  the  yard,  and  the  window  should  be 
arranged  to  slide  wide  open,  making  a  kind  of  shed  of 
it  when  weather  is  warm.  The  door  is  two  and  one- 
half  by  four  feet,  placed  on  east  side  so  you  can  enter 


FIG   69:       PIPE    BROODER    HOUSE 

the  building  without  first  climbing  into  the  yard.  The 
roof  is  of  dressed  and  matched  fencing,  then  shingled, 
making  it  almost  windproof.  The  interior  shows  a 
brooder,  a,  set  therein.  These  brooders  are  hot  air, 
thirty-six  inches  square,  sunk  in  the  ground  floor  of 
these  houses  about  four  inches.  The  dirt  that  is  taken 
for  the  excavation  is  filled  in  around  the  brooder,  which 
gives  the  chicks  a  nice  earth  floor  to  scratch  and  ruffle  in 
when  the  weather  will  not  let  them  go  out.  As  they 
grow  older,  say  when  four  weeks  old,  they  are  given 
full  liberty  in  pleasant  weather. 


FOR     INCUBATORS     AND     BROODERS 


97 


Figure  70,  at  the  right  hand,  shows  a  house  built, 
against  a  bank,  that  can  be  twelve  feet  or  more  in 
length.  The  cross  section  below  shows  how  the  home- 
made brooder  is  located  with  respect  to  the  run  for 
the  chicks.  Set  on  legs  as  it  is,  the  attendant  does  not 
have  to  stoop  over  his  work,  and  with  the  raised  run 
for  the  chicks  they  are  brought  on  a  level  with 
the  brooder,  so  they  can  easily  run  in  and  out. 

This  run  is  coated  with  gravel  and  cemented.  The 
brooder  is  three  feet  square.  Allo\v  six  feet  for  each 


FIG  70  :       HOUSES  FOR  SEPARATE  BROODERS 


brooder  and  pen  and  you  have  three  feet  at  the  end  of 
each  brooder — sufficient  space  to  give  access  to  each 
pen,  which  can  be  cleaned  from  the  walk  with  a  short- 
handled  hoe  or  rake.  The  house  is  twelve  feet  wide, 
the  walk  or  alley  six  and  the  run  six.  The  top  of  the 
brooder  is  hinged,  to  give  easy  access,  and  the  partition 
in  front  of  the  runs  is  tight,  to  keep  in  the  warmth  that 
is  produced  by  the  sunshine  coming  in  at  the  window. 
If  a  bank  of  earth  is  not  at  hand,  earth  can  be  heaped 
up  to  form  a  bench  on  which  to  locate  the  runs.  Such 


90  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

a  bank  of  earth  makes  the  interior  of  the  building  much 
warmer. 

Both  these  houses  are  adapted  for  the  lamp  and 
drum  style  brooder  shown  in  the  diagram  at  the  left. 
Later  in  the  season  may  be  substituted  the  cold  brooder 
shown  at  the  upper  left  hand  corner  of  Figure  70. 
Woolen  cloth,  an  old  blanket  or  some  sort  of  heavy 
material,  is  tacked  loosely  at  the  sides  and  in  a  few 


OREGON   BROODER  HOUSE 


places  through  the  center,  in  such  a  way  that  the  loose 
folds  will  hang  down  nearly  to  the  bottom  of  the 
brooder.  This  cloth  should  be  of  several  thicknesses, 
or  padded  if  need  be.  It  should  hang  lower  near  the 
sides  than  at  the  center.  It  should  also  be  constructed 
in  such  a  way  that  it  can  be  raised  as  the  chicks  grow 
in  size.  This  can  be  done  easily.  The  cloth  can  be 
fastened  to  a  frame  made  of  inch  boards  and  of  a  size 


1'UK     INCUBATORS     AND     BROODERS  99 

that  will  just  fit  snugly  inside  the  brooder.  At  each 
corner  of  the  box  put  in  pieces  of  two  by  four 
studding,  a,  eight  inches  high,  in  which  holes  have  been 
bored  an  inch  apart  from  the  top  to  within  four  inches 
of  the  bottom.  Saw  out  the  corners  of  the  frame  to 
fit  around  these  and  insert  a  pin,  c,  in  the  hole  that  will 
hold  it  at  the  desired  hight.  A  strip,  b,  nailed  to  the 
end  pieces  of  the  frame  and  reaching  through  the  mid- 
dle, will  serve  as  a  fastening  to  tack  the  cloth  to  in 
the  center. 

Brooder  House — A  building  as  shown  in  Figure 
71  has  been  found  satisfactory  by  an  Oregon  grower. 
The  floors  of  the  warm  hovers  are  covered  two  inches 
deep  with  sand.  They  are  warmed  with  two  one  and 


=*^ 

HOUSES  EOR   WINTER  CHICKS 


one-half-inch  pipes,  a  a,  overhead.  The  hovers  are 
thirty  inches  \vide,  four  feet  long,  one  foot  deep,  ar- 
ranged in  two  rows  running  lengthwise  with  a  walk,  b, 
between.  Through  a  small  opening  chicks  enter  a  four 
by  four-foot  runway,  e  c,  and  may  thence  pass  outdoors 
to  runways  four  feet  wide  and  thirty  feet  long. 

A  Brooder  Attachment — In  early  spring  the 
brooder  chicks  can  be  let  out  upon  the  ground  and  yet 
be  protected  from  the  cold  winds  by  the  attachment 
shown  at  the  left  of  Figure  72.  A  box  without  top  or 
bottom  is  hooked  to  the  side  of  the  brooder,  an  opening 
being  cut  in  the  side  where  the  door  of  the  brooder 
comes.  The  top  of  the  attachment  is  covered  with 
coarse  cotton  cloth,  or  a  sash  may  be  used.  The  cloth 


lOO  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

lets  in  fresh  air  and  the  sun's  rays,  but  protects  the 
chicks  from  the  cold  winds. 

Poultry  House  for  Early  Chicks — This  house,  as 
in  Figure  72,  at  the  right  of  the  illustration,  is  used  by 
Mrs  J.  Wilson  of  Iowa  for  raising  winter  chicks.  In 
it  she  can  put  three  hens  with  about  forty  chicks.  Take 
a  box  about  six  feet  long,  two  and  one-half  feet  wide, 
two  and  one-half  feet  high  in  front,  with  sloping  roof, 
cover  with  tarred  paper  and  have  a  sliding  window  in 
front  near  the  top,  as  shown.  Dig  a  hole  in  the  ground 
just  the  size  of  the  box,  as  for  a  hotbed.  Fill  it  with 
horse  manure,  cover  with  dry  earth  and  over  this  put 
soft  straw,  chaff  and  hayseed  from  the  barn  floor. 
Place  the  box  over  this  and  put  the  hens  and  chicks 
in.  Throw  an  old  carpet  over  all  and  they  are  easily 
cared  for.  In  a  home  like  this  it  is  surprising  how  fast 
they  will  grow.  A  small  door  near  the  bottom  may  be 
opened  on  warm  days  to  let  them  have  a  little  sun,  but 
they  will  soon  scamper  back. 


CHAPTER  IX 

SPECIAL    PURPOSE  BUILDINGS 

Cold  Storage  of  Poultry  Products — The  only 
really  satisfactory  means  for  keeping  eggs  and  poultry 
meat  is  cold  storage.  The  system  is  working  a  revolu- 
tion in  the  trade ;  tending  to  equalize  prices  and  increase 
demand.  In  course  of  time  the  difference  between 
spring  and  winter  prices  will  no  doubt  be  far  less  than 
at  present.  Meanwhile  there  is  a  good  profit  in  holding 


ICC     ROOM 


\ 


FlG   73  :       PLAN   OF    COLD    STORAGE    HOUSE    FOR   POULTRY 

stored  eggs.  A  commission  man  and  buyer  lately  re- 
marked that  farmers  could  secure  this  profit  themselves 
by  putting  up  little  storage  plants  on  the  plan  of  co- 
operative creameries,  and  selling  the  product  at  the 
right  season  to  retail  customers.  He  expressed  the 
opinion  that  a  town  of  one  thousand  or  more  people 
would  furnish  ample  scope  for  such  an  enterprise  and 


102  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

the  plant  could  be  used  a  part  of  the  time  for  storage  of 
fruit.  The  design  given  herewith  (Figure  73)  is  for 
storage  with  ice,  is  not  expensive,  and  has  been  success- 
fully used  by  a  Michigan  poultry  farmer. 

The  ice  room  is  eight  by  twelve  feet  in  the  clear, 
being  started  with  a  six  by  six-inch  sill  laid  in  a  trench 
three  inches  deep.  After  the  sills  are  laid  in  the  ground 
dirt  is  pressed  in  solidly,  so  as  to  leave  no  opportunity 
for  air  to  enter  in  at  the  bottom — a  very  important 
point.  The  studding  of  the  inner  room  is  two  by  eight- 
inch  lumber,  twelve  feet  long,  set  twenty-four  inches 
from  center  to  center,  and  having  a  plate  of  the  same 
size  firmly  spiked  to  the  top,  the  inside  of  the  studs 
being  sheathed  with  rough  boards  clear  to  the  top  of 
the  plate  and  around  the  bottom  except  at  a,  where  one 
stud  has  been  left  out,  leaving  an  opening  through 
which  the  ice  is  passed  in  filling  the  house.  This  open- 
ing is  stopped  with  boards  and  simply  laid  in  as  the 
house  is  filled.  The  top  of  the  ice  should  be  no  higher 
than  the  plate,  and  be  covered  twelve  or  eighteen  inches 
deep  with  hay  or  straw,  well  trodden  down. 

The  outer  wall  is  of  two  by  four-inch  studding, 
twelve  feet  long,  the  sill  set  in  the  ground  the  same  as 
for  the  inner  room,  but  carefully  sheathed  on  both  sides 
with  good,  tight  boards,  and  the  space  between  filled 
with  sawdust  clear  to  the  plate.  The  outside  is  finished 
with  drop  siding,  having  a  thickness  of  paper  between 
that  and  the  boards. 

At  B  the  inner  and  outer  sheathing  boards  project 
one  and  one-half  inches  beyond  the  studs,  and  other 
loose  boards  are  cut  one  and  one-half  inches  shorter 
than  the  space  between  the  studs. 

Then,  as  the  ice  is  fitted  in,  these  shorter  boards 
are  laid  up  and  the  space  between  filled  with  sawdust, 
this  opening  being  only  to  fill  the  ice  room.  About 
thirty-five  tons  of  ice  can  be  put  in  this  house,  which 


SPECIAL     PURPOSE     BUILDINGS  103 

will  be  sufficient  to  last  until  cutting  time  another  year. 

The  entrance  door  is  made  double ;  that  is,  a  sort 
of  vestibule  is  built  out  so  that  the  door  can  be  closed 
behind  when  going  in  or  coming  out,  thus  avoiding 
warm  currents  of  air  in  the  cooling  room.  The  four- 
foot  space  around  the  house  is  floored  over  six  inches 
above  the  ground  sill,  and  provides  ample  room  for 
butter,  meat,  poultry  or  eggs,  though  eggs  must  not 
be  kept  at  a  lower  temperature  than  forty  degrees 
above  zero. 

If  desired,  another  story  may  be  added  by  placing 
joists  across  the  space  eight  feet  from  the  lower  floor. 
This  gives  a  larger  amount  of  room  for  storing  onions, 
etc.  The  roof  is  hipped  and  provided  with  a  ventilator 
having  lower  slats  arranged  to  open  or  close  at  will. 
They  should  never  be  tightly  closed,  as  fresh  air  should 
always  have  more  or  less  access  to  the  top  of  the  ice. 

A  six  by  six-inch  timber  is  fastened  at  one  end 
under  the  hip  rafter,  projecting  over  the  outer  wall  line 
and  provided  with  a  stout  eye-bolt  to  which  the  pulley 
is  caught  in  filling  the  ice  room.  This  timber  is  braced 
down  to  the  plate  with  sticks  of  the  same  size. 

The  roof  is  shingled,  and  the  cornice  is  made  with 
eight  eight  by  eight-inch  holes  in  the  soffit,  each  being 
provided  with  a  board  to  close  and  open,  thus  perfect- 
ing the  ventilating  arrangement.  Windows  are  in  both 
sides,  tightly  fitted  with  two  double  sash  for  each  eight, 
and  are  set  in  the  sides,  so  as  to  throw  light  in  the  end 
passages.  A  box  drain  should  be  laid  in  the  ground, 
made  of  two  by  eight-inch  stuff,  and  should  project 
three  or  four  feet  beyond  the  outside  wall,  and  at  each 
end  a  small  pit  should  be  dug,  filled  nearly  to  the  top 
with  small  stone,  with  an  armful  of  straw  next,  and  dirt 
filled  in,  well  rammed  down.  No  flooring  will  be  re- 
quired in  the  inner  room,  as  the  ice  can  be  laid  on  the 
ground. 


104 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


An  Ontario  Turkey  House — My  turkeys  have  a 
large  range,  and  as  foxes  are  numerous  in  this  vicinity 
a  great  many  of  the  finest  birds  were  killed  last  year. 
In  June  I  had  a  house  built  like  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration (Figure  74,  at  the  upper  half  of  the  illustration) 


FIG  74:       BUILDINGS  FOR  TURKEYS 

to  secure  the  flock  at  night,  to  provide  a  feeding  place 
for  the  young  birds  during  the  day  and  to  prevent  the 
old  birds  from  eating  with  them. 

The  building  is  twelve  feet  square,  ten  feet  high  in 
front  and  eight  feet  at  the  back.    The  foundation  con- 


SPECIAL    PURPOSE    BUILDINGS  105 

sists  of  tamarack  planks  spiked  solidly  together  and 
four  posts  are  set  in  at  the  corners.  The  sides  are  of 
fine  slats,  four  inches  wide,  nailed  an  inch  apart  so  as 
to  provide  light  and  air  within.  The  roof  is  made  of 
boards  put  on  to  exclude  the  rain.  On  one  side  is  a 
door,  a,  six  by  three  feet,  fastened  by  hooks  on  the 
outside  and  inside.  On  the  front  there  is  an  opening, 
b,  and  a  door,  c.  On  the  ground  the  opening,  b,  is 
four  inches  high  and  five  feet  long  and  permits  the 
ingress  and  egress  of  the  young  birds  only.  This  is 
closed  by  means  of  a  drop  board.  The  hanging  door,  c, 
is  twelve  feet  long,  two  feet  wide  and  two  feet  from  the 
ground,  is  formed  of  boards  like  the  sides,  is  fastened 
by  hooks  and  is  attached  to  the  front  by  strong  hinges. 
Inside  the  house  are  drinking  and  feeding  troughs  for 
the  young  birds,  clean  straw  at  one  side  and  three  tiers 
of  roosts,  the  first  very  low,  the  second  midway  and 
the  third  of  strong  poles  as  near  the  top  as  possible. 

In  the  morning  I  dropped  the  hanging  door  to  let 
out  the  old  birds,  fed  them  outside,  and  closed  the 
door.  Went  in  at  the  side  door,  fastened  it,  fed  and 
watered  the  young  birds  and  left  them  until  the  dew 
was  off  the  grass.  By  raising  the  board  the  young 
ones  could  come  out  to  the  old  ones.  Three  times  a 
day  they  came  to  be  fed,  the  board  being  utilized  to 
shut  them  in  until  all  were  fed.  At  night  the  young 
ones  remained  in  and  by  dropping  the  hanging  door 
the  old  hens  flew  in.  When  the  turkeys  grew  too  large 
for  the  opening,  b,  I  fed  them  just  outside  the  house 
and  they  entered  by  means  of  both  doors,  which  were 
fastened  before  dark. —  [Mrs  Edwin  Colquhoun, 
Ontario. 

Another  Turkey  House— Most  people  who  have 
had  experience  with  turkeys  know  that  these  birds 
prefer  to  roost  on  the  ridgepole  of  a  building  rather 
than  under  it,  and  that,  too,  in  exceptionally  cold 


106  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

weather.  The  turkey  does  not  like  close  quarters,  and 
thrives  best  where  it  is  given  plenty  of  air. 

In  many  sections  of  the  country  where  the  winters 
are  not  too  severe,  the  house  shown  in  Figure  74,  at  the 
lower  part  of  the  illustration,  will  be  found  an  excel- 
lent one  for  turkeys  in  winter,  while  in  the  northern 
regions,  even,  such  a  building  will  be  found  most 
useful  as  a  roosting  place  for  both  chickens  and  poults 
during  the  late  summer  and  fall,  since  they  need  pro- 
tection from  rain  and  prowling  animals,  but  plenty 
of  pure  air  to  secure  the  finest  growth.  This  need  of 
pure  air  at  night  is  not  properly  appreciated  by  most 
persons  who  attempt  to  raise  chickens. 

Improved  Duck  Houses — Ducks  are  easily  the 
most  profitable  of  all  poultry,  if  the  flesh  product 
simply  is  considered,  while  as  a  layer  of  eggs  the  Pekin 
duck  is  exceedingly  profitable.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  it  would  be  wise  for  more  farmers  to  keep  a  flock 
of  breeding  and  laying  ducks,  and  for  this  purpose 
there  is  no  better  breed  than  the  large,  white  Pekin. 

As  ducks  roost  on  the  floor,  only  low  quarters  are 
needed.  A  lo\v,  shed-roofed  affair  can  be  put  onto  the 
side  of  the  barn  or  other  farm  building,  in  the  manner 
shown  in  Figure  75,  three  feet  of  hight  being  sufficient. 
Let  the  pen  open  into  the  large  building,  the  partition 
between  being  hinged  at  the  top,  so  that  by  raising 
it  one  can  clean  out  the  pen  and  put  in  dry  bedding. 
One  can  thus  build  duck  quarters  very  inexpensively. 

Figure  76  shows  a  duckhouse  with  shed  and  an 
inclosed  roost  room.  It  is  single  walled  and  built  in 
the  cheapest  manner. 

In  Building  a  Dove  Cote  in  a  barn  for  six  pairs, 
they  should  have  at  least  twelve  feet  square  of  floor 
and  eight  feet  high.  The  more  space  the  better,  unless 
the  pigeons  are  to  have  the  freedom  of  the  yard.  The 
boxes  should  be  at  least  eight  in  number,  each  box  to 


SPECIAL    PURPOSE    BUILDINGS 


107 


be  double,  completely  divided  so  a  young  pigeon  cannot 
go  from  one  to  the  other  without  flying.  This  allows 
the  mother  to  lay  and  hatch  a  second  set  of  eggs  before 
the  first  are  able  to  look  after  themselves.  These 
boxes  must  be  set  on  the  top  of  tinned  posts  or  fixed 
in  some  way  so  that  the  rats  cannot  reach  the  nests, 


FIG   75  :       IMPROVED   DUCKHOUSE 


FIG   76:       DUCKHOUSE    AND    SHED 

for  rats  are  sure  to  destroy  the  eggs  or  young  birds 
in  the  nest. —  [A.  H.  Streeter,  Hampshire  County, 
Massachusetts. 

Making  a  Pigeon  Loft — Every  boy  on  the  farm 
should  have  a  flock  of  pigeons,  be  the  variety  Fan- 
tails,  Homers,  Turbits  or  Jacobins.  They  are  among 
the  most  satisfactory  pets  that  one  can  have,  their  pretty 


loS 


PO  U  LTk V  A  KC II 1TECT  URE 


ways  and  beautiful  forms  and  plumage  making  them 
most  desirable  companions.  A  loft  for  the  accom- 
modation of  pigeons  can  be  made  very  easily  in  the 
roof  chamber  of  a  shed  or  stable.  The  illustrations 
(Figure  77)  show  inside  and  outside  arrangement  for 
such  a  loft.  With  most  pigeons  there  must  be  a  wire 
inclosure  outside  the  window,  else  cats  will  make  havoc 
with  the  birds,  many  varieties  not  being  very  quick 
upon  the  wing.  A  part  of  the  inside  partition  is  cut 
away  in  the  illustration  to  show  the  interior  arrange- 


FIG   77  :       PIGEON   LOFT   AND   INTERIOR 

merit.  Such  a  loft  utilizes  waste  space  and  requires  no 
great  expense  for  lumber.  A  boy  should  be  able  to  fit 
it  up  himself. 

Combined  Poultry  and  Pigeon  House — A  poultry 
house  with  a  loft  especially  fitted  up  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  pigeons  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  illus- 
trations (Figures  78,  79),  from  sketches  by  Webb 
Donnell.  The  poultry  quarters  have  an  addition  fitted 
with  wire  netting  in  front  in  summer,  as  seen  in  Figure 

78,  and  windows  in  winter,  which  serves  as  a  scratch- 
ing and  dusting  room,  communication  being  had  with 
it  from  the  main  poultry  room.     The  diagram,  Figure 

79,  shows  the  inside  arrangement  when  the  building  is 
used  for  two  breeds.     Such  an  arrangement  secures 
exceedingly  warm  roosting  places  for  both  flocks,  as 


SPECIAL     PURPOSE     r.UILDIXGS 


IO9 


the  recesses  occupied  by  the  roosts  can  be  shut  off  from 
the  main  room  to  some  extent  by  placing  partitions  in 
front  of  the  roosts,  extending  from  the  ceiling,  but  not 


HOUSE  FOR  POULTRY   AND   PIGEONS 


FIG    79:       GROUND    PLAN    FOR    COMBINATION    HOUSE 

reaching  to  the  floor.  The  warm  air  from  the  bodies 
of  the  fowls  is  thus  kept  around  and  above  the  birds 
while  on  their  roosts. 


CHAPTER  X 

COOPS,,     YARDS     AND   FENCES 

Compared  with  the  houses,  the  coops  are  small 
and  temporary  affairs,  being"  used  often  only  a  few 
months  of  the  year.  Present  use  rather  than  appear- 
ance or  durability  is  usually  considered.  In  some  cases 
the.  coop  item  is  so  far  overlooked  that  it  becomes  the 
weak  feature  of  the  plant,  and  serious  losses  occur 
from  overcrowding  the  young  stock  or  failing  to  pro- 


FIG    8OI          GLASS-ROOFED    COOPS 

tect  them  against  pests ;  neglecting  to  separate  fowls 
ill  with  contagious  diseases ;  lack  of  accommodations 
for  sitters,  fattening  fowls,  extra  males  or  show  birds. 
There  is  little  excuse  for  such  conditions;  materials 
good  for  coops  being  plenty  and  cheap,  while  on 
account  of  the  limited  size  of  such  structures  they  may 
be  nailed  together  any  time  in  the  workshop  or  shed. 


COOPS,     YARDS    AND     KKNCES 


III 


A  Coop  for  Early  Chicks — The  two  upper  draw- 
ings of  Figure  80  show  a  desirable  coop  for  very  early 
chickens.  The  coop  is  long  and  sloping  and  has  a  hot- 
bed sash  hinged  to  the  top.  The  higher  half  of  the 
coop  has  a  tight  bottom  with  slats  at  its  outer  edge. 
There  is  no  bottom  to  the  rest  of  the  coop,  and  the 
lower  end  has  a  hinged  door,  and,  is  also  covered  with 
one-inch  mesh  of  wire  netting. 

When  very  cold  the  door  can  be  shut  up  tight  and 


FIG   8l  :       HOTBED   RUN    AND    COOPS 


the  chicks  will  have  a  warm  run  on  the  ground  outside 
the  slats.  When  it  is  warmer,  the  end  door  can  be 
dropped,  giving  a  protected  run,  but  plenty  of  fresh 
air.  The  hen  can  be  let  out  into  this  run  when  desired. 
A  cloth  can  be  thrown  over  the  glass  at  night  when 
the  \veather  is  cold. 

The  drawing  in  the  lower  right-hand  corner  of 
Figure  80  shows  a  house  with  glass  run  for  winter 
chicks. 


112 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


The  lower  left-hand  drawing  in  Figure  80  shows 
a  hotbed  that  is  built  against  the  south  side  of  the 
poultry  house,  serving  all  through  the  winter  as  a 
sunny  scratching  place  for  the  fowls.  These  are  shut 
out  at  the  approach  of  spring  and  the  hotbed  started. 
About  the  time  the  plants  are  started  the  fowls  will  be 
getting  out  upon  the  ground,  while  all  through  the  deep 
snows  of  winter  they  will  have  an  exceedingly  sunny 
space  to  run  in.  Make  the  hotbed  large  enough  to  give 
sufficient  scratching  space.  The  room  can  well  be 
utilized  with  early  plants  in  the  spring. 


FIG  82:       RAT-PROOF   COOPS   AND   RUX 


Figure  81  shows  another  coop  on  the  hotbed  plan 
Several  brood  hens  are  kept  in  boxes  or  A  coops  con- 
necting with  the  sashed  runs,  and  the  chickens  may  run 
together  if  desired,  although  it  is  better  to  have  them 
divided  at  first  till  they  become  used  to  brooding  in 
flocks  of  even  number. 

Rat-Proof  Coops  mid  Run — The  first  has  a  pro- 
jecting top,  as  shown  in  the  upper  left  of  Figure  82, 
to  keep  out  the  heat  of  the  sun  and  the  rain.  It  has  a 
netting  front  to  give  good  ventilation,  while  keeping 


COOPS,    YARDS    AND    FEXCKS  113 

out  enemies  at  night.  It  has  a  small  board  below  that 
can  be  removed  during  the  day  so  the  chicks  can  run 
out  and  in,  while  the  hen  will  be  confined.  The  coop 
can  be  cleaned  in  an  instant.  All  these  advantages  will 
commend  this  coop  to  those  who  have  had  experience 
with  the  coops  ordinarily  seen. 

Cool  Run  for  Chicks — They  appreciate  a  bit  of 
shade  during  midday  and  should  not  be  forced  to  find 
it  in  the  coop,  which  too  often  is  almost  air-tight.  Cut 
a  hoop  in  two  equal  lengths  and  to  a,  b  and  c,  as  at  the 
right  of  the  drawing  previously  described  in  Figure 
82,  each  tack  either  end  of  three  pieces  of  lath  or  other 
light  wood.  Over  this  framework  stretch  cotton  cloth, 
d,  or  bagging,  and  tack  firmly  in  pace.  The  open  ends 
admit  a  free  current  of  air,  while  the  cover  keeps  off 
direct  sun  rays. 

The  illustration  at  the  lower  left  of  Figure  82 
gives  an  idea  for  the  construction  of  a  neat,  handy 
and  healthy  coop.  It  can  be  made  of  any  size.  For  one 
or  two  broods  of  chickens,  about  four  feet  square  and 
two  feet  high  in  front  and  eighteen  inches  high  in  the 
rear  is  a  convenient  size.  It  should  be  made  with  a 
tight  floor  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  rats,  skunks,  etc, 
and  also  to  aid  in  keeping  clean.  The  entrance  should 
have  two  doors,  one  of  them  merely  a  frame  over 
which  is  stretched  wire  netting  with  meshes  fine 
enough  to  exclude  all  prowlers  of  the  night.  This  is 
to  be  used  in  the  summer  time  when  it  is  too  hot  to 
shut  the  coops  with  the  tight  doors.  The  other  door 
can  be  made  to  shut  over  the  wire  door  by  hinging  at 
the  top.  The  wire  door  is  made  to  slide  in  from  the 
top  or  end.  With  the  coop  tightly  closed  there  will 
not  be  sufficient  ventilation.  A  ventilator  made  of 
three  or  four-inch  boards  nailed  into  a  box  about  two 
and  one-half  feet  long,  set  in  the  middle  of  the  coop 
roof  and  extending  down  inside  to  within  a  couple  of 


114  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

inches  of  the  bottom,  will  suffice.  At  the  rear,  to  aid  in 
cleaning,  should  be  a  door  about  eight  inches  wide 
extending  the  whole  length  of  the  coop  at  the  bottom. 
By  lifting  this  and  using  a  small  hoe-like  tool,  a,  made 
by  taking  a  block  four  by  eight  inches  and  boring  a 
hole  in  the  center  and  putting  in  a  handle  about  two 
feet  long,  the  job  of  cleaning  is  a  short  and  easy  one. 
All  coops  should  be  painted  and  the  roof  made  tight 
enough  to  prevent  leaking.  These  coops  are  not  too 
heavy  to  be  carried  to  any  place  where  it  is  desirable. 
The  illustration  shows  the  coop  with  one  door  raised, 
showing  the  wire  netting. 

Rat-Proof  Coops — The  plan,  Figure  82,  at  the 
lower  right-hand  corner,  shows  how  one  is  built.  The 
lower  space  in  front  is  protected  with  a  sliding  frame, 
covered  with  eighteen-inch  galvanized  heavy  wire  net- 
ting. The  dot  is  a  small  hole  with  a  large  wire  nail 
through  the  frame.  The  two  dots  above  are  holes  for 
fastening  the  screen  frame  so  the  chicks  can  run,  and 
confine  the  hen,  or  the  hen  can  run,  as  one  wishes.  The 
legs  are  about  three  inches  high,  so  there  is  no  chance 
for  rats  to  work  underneath,  and  the  plan  also  prevents 
loss  by  possible  drowning  in  a  heavy  shower.  With 
the  frame  down  at  night,  cats,  rats  or  others  pests  are 
kept  out. 

Hay  Shed  Coop — My  chicken  coops  are  made  be- 
neath a  western  hay  shed,  which  is  built  by  setting 
posts  about  ten  feet  apart,  placing  stringers  on  top 
and  laying  poles  across,  upon  which  the  hay  is  stacked. 
The  entire  shed  or  corral  is  inclosed  by  boarding -up 
and  down  with  slabs,  and  is  divided  into  five  sections, 
occupying  the  space  of  twenty  feet  square  for  each 
coop  or  pen.  All  the  roosts  are  in  the  center  coop  and 
are  made  of  small  green  oak  poles  reaching  up  to 
within  two  feet  of  the  roof,  which  is  eight  feet  from 
the  ground.  Instead  of  having  a  single  slant  with 


COOPS,    YARDS    AND    FENCES  115 

poles  nailed  on  every  two  feet,  I  have  the  roosts  in  the 
shape  of  a  wide  hay  rack  or  double  feed  stall,  slanting 
both  ways,  with  poles  every  two  feet,  and  some  between 
the  top  perches.  In  this  way  I  get  all  the  young  chicks 
to  their  perches  long  before  the  mothers  leave  them, 
and  give  plenty  of  room  for  all  to  roost  on  the  top 
poles. —  [J.  L.  Shoemaker,  Utah. 

Ten-Cent  Coops — A  chicken  coop  that  will  last 
for  ten  years  at  a  cost  of  ten  cents !  The  cut  ( Figure 
83)  explains  itself  better  than  words  can  do.  A  soap, 
starch  or  canned  fruit  box  of  the  right  size  can 
usually  be  procured  for  from  five  to  ten  cents  (fre- 
quently at  the  former  price  if  a  quantity  are  engaged), 


FIG  83  :       BOX  AND  BARREL  COOPS 

and  this,  with  a  few  bits  of  lath  for  the  door,  which  is 
hung  on  leather  hinges,  and  a  board  for  an  awning 
completes  the  requisites.  Triangular  pieces  of  board 
must  be  nailed  to  the  awning,  which  is  also  attached 
by  leather  hinges.  When  more  light  or  sun  is  needed 
by  the  brood,  simply  turn  the  shed  roof  over  onto  the 
top  of  the  coop.  By  a  little  extra  work  the  board  can 
be  made  to  serve  the  purpose  of  shutting  in  the 
chickens  at  night  by  dispensing  with'  wooden  supports 
and  using  iron  hooks  to  keep  the  shed  in  place.  In 
this  case  ventilation  must  be  provided.  This  coop  can 
be  made  in  a  few  minutes  and  is  better  than  many  more 
costly  ones.  It  will  be  improved  by  covering  the  top 
with  building  paper,  which  must  be  painted  each  year. 


n6 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


Another  coop  just  as  cheap  may  be  made  from  a 
barrel  sawed  in  two  lengthwise  (Figure  83).  Before 
sawing  nail  staves  to  hoops.  A  coop  from  a  whole 
barrel  slatted  in  front  is  shown  in  Figure  84.  Also  a 
peach  crate  used  as  a  coop. 

A  cheap  coop  can  be  made  from  an  apple  barrel 
with  the  one  end  covered  with  lath  and  a  door  to 
admit  of  cleaning  and  placing  feed  for  the  brood  and 
the  old  hen.  At  night  and  on  wet  days  a  piece  of  oil- 
cloth can  be  arranged  to  shelter  the  front  and  be 


FIG  84  :   COOPS  FROM  BARRELS  AND  CRATES 


thrown  back  when  not  in  use.  It  can  be  easily  re- 
moved from  one  place  to  another,  admitting  of  fresh 
surroundings  as  often  as  deemed  necessary.  It  is 
raised  slightly  from  the  ground  by  means  of  blocks  on 
either  side  to  avoid  the  least  dampness.  The  inside 
of  the  barrel  should  be  covered  with  fresh  straw  in  a 
moderate  quantity.  Wire  netting  in  place  of  lath  can 
also  be  used  and  is  just  as  good  for  the  front,  possibly 
better.  The  entrance  board  can  be  made  by  cutting  the 


COOPS,    YARDS    AND    FENCES 


117 


front   block   under   the   barrel,    slanting"   a.nd   placing 

cleats  on  it,  to  allow  the  chicks  to  get  in  and  out  easily. 

A-Shapcd   Coops — Several   forms   of   these   very 

simple  and  cheap  coops  for  young  chicks  are  shown  in 


FIG    85  :       A-SHAPED    COOPS 

Figure  85.  Beginning  at  the  upper  left  corner, 
the  first  coop  is  made  by  dividing  a  good-sized  box  by 
cutting  through  two  corners,  making  two  coops  of  one 
box.  The  roof  should  be  closely  battened  or  covered 
with  painted  sheathing  paper.  The  coop  adjoining  to 


FIG  86:      A-SIIAPED  COOI   AND  FRAME 

the  right  has  its  roof  lapped  clapboard  fashion,  and  a 
convenient  drop  door  of  slats.  At  the  lower  left 
corner  is  a  style  common  in  its  main  features  on  many 
large  establishments.  It  is  cheap,  warm,  dry,  and  can 


Il8  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

easily  be  made  rat-proof.  The  fourth  is  good  where 
hen  and  chickens  run  together.  The  house  part  is 
quickly  made  from  an  old  box,  and  may  be  fastened  to 
the  yard  or  simply  moved  close  against  it.  The  yard  is 
of  inch  mesh  a  foot  high,  but  the  top  may  be  of  two- 
inch  mesh. 

Another  simple  A  coop  appears  in  Figure  86.  At 
the  right  of  this  illustration  is  shown  a  frame  which 
may  be  covered  with  boards  or  paper  and  slatted  in 
front  or  protected  with  netting. 


FIG  87  :       COOP  FROM   A  SHOE  BOX 

Bo.r  Coops — One  style  is  made  out  of  a  wide  shoe 
box,  or  case,  by  nailing  a  board  (as  shown  in  Figure 
87)  on  each  end,  which  shall  extend  beyond  the  sides 
and  above  the  top  of  the  box ;  and  across  these  is  nailed 
another  board,  forming  the  roof.  The  ventilation  is 
perfect,  when  the  roof  is  constructed  in  this  manner, 
while  at  the  same  time  it  proves  a  complete  protection 
against  storms.  A  coop  of  this  sort  can  be  readily 
made  with  but  little  trouble  and  at  slight  expense. 

In  the  side  not  shown  in  the  cut  is  a  door  through 
which  the  hen  is  admitted  or  let  out,  and  on  the  front 
side  (see  cut)  a  pane  of  glass  can  be  inserted,  if  de- 
sired, to  give  ample  light. 


COOPS,    YARDS    AND    FENCES  IIlJ 

Another  plan  is  shown  in  Figure  88.  Tip  a  lar  ;e 
packing  box  on  one  side,  making  the  open  space  or 
original  top  the  front.  Nail  boards,  a,  across  this 
space  half  way  down,  letting  the  top  one,  b,  extend 
nearly  its  width  above  the  top  edge  of  the  box,  and 
several  inches  beyond  'the  ends.  Nail  a  similar  one,  c, 
on  the  back,  leaving  this  a  couple  of  inches  above  the 
top.  Two  side  boards,  d,  are  now  added,  sawed  slant- 
ing to  make  a  smooth  slope  between  the  front  and  back 
for  the  roof.  As  they  are  six  inches  beyond  the 
ends  of  the  box,  it  makes  a  protection  from  the 


FIG  88:       A   PACKING  BOX   COOP 


weather,  besides  leaving  space  for  circulation,  while 
to  make  this  of  value  to  the  interior  a  square  must  be 
sawed  from  the  top  of  the  box  before  the  roof  is  put 
on,  as  this  top  floor  has  been  left  whole.  This  makes 
the  ventilation  good  without  danger  of  leaks,  and  the 
roof  is  now  added. 

Returning  to  the  unbearded  space  in  front,  we 
nail  a  strip  four  inches  wide  down  the  center  and  tack- 
fine  wire  netting,  /,  over  one  side.  A  second  strip  is 
put  over  the  first  to  cover  the  edge  of  the  netting,  and 
to  leave  room  for  a  groove  for  the  sliding  door,  g,  on 


12O 


POULTRY  ARCHITECT URE 


the  other  side.  This  may  be  either  of  wood  or  a 
skeleton  frame  made  and  covered  with  netting.  A 
groove  must  be  made  in  the  box  for  the  other  side  of 
the  slide.  Nearly  all  the  boxes  come  with  well-stayed 
corners,  so  this  is  not  difficult. 


FIG 


BROOD   COOP   WITH    RUN 


Paint  the  outside,  roof  and  all,  to  prevent  the 
cracks  from  spreading.  Or  the  roof  may  be  covered 
with  roofing  paper  or  cheaper  still  with  tarred  paper, 
which  will  last  a  season  or  two.  These  bt>xes  vary 
somewhat  in  size,  but  they  will  hold  from  fifteen  to 
twenty-five  chickens  till  they  are  pretty  well  grown, 


FIG  9<D  :       LIGHT  BOX   COOPS 

and  as  they  are  strong  and  well  built  they  will  last 
many  years. 

Brood  Coop  with  Run — The  coop  shown  herewith 
(Figure  89)  is  one  that  is  used  extensively  on  the 
Kentucky  Stock  and  Poultry  Farm  of  Brandenburg, 


COOPS,    YARDS    AND    FENCES  121 

Kentucky.  In  it  a  hen  can  brood  twenty  to  forty 
chicks.  It  is  made  of  one  and  one-half-inch  mesh  wire 
with  a  board  top,  and  the  dimensions  are  as  follows : 
a  to  b,  four  feet ;  c  to  a,  two  feet ;  d  to  e,  two  feet ;  k  k 
are  doors. 

A  Light  Coop — The  materials  (Figure  90)  are 
twenty-one  spruce  laths,  two  boards,  a,  six  by  twenty- 
five  inches,  two  two  by  two  posts,  b.  four  inches  high, 
and  a  shoe  box,  c,  twenty-five  by  eighteen  by  fourteen 
inches.  Nail  the  four  boards  to  the  posts,  leaving  a 
space  at  the  bottom ;  nail  nine  laths  to  the  front  end  of 
box  and  the  other  end  to  the  end  made  by  nailing  the 
boards  and  posts  together.  Now  nail  six  'laths  to  each 


FIG  QI  :       SHELTER  AND  PORTABLE  COOP 

side  of  the  box  and  to  the  end.  The  second  half  of 
the  illustration  shows  another  coop  built  on  a  like  plan 
with  slide  between  box  and  yard. 

Summer  and  Fall  Shelter — Growing  chicks  can  be 
kept  in  a  most  vigorous  condition  by  having  pure  air 
at  night.  Shut  up  in  close  coops  they  cannot  have  this. 
Get  them  to  roosting  out  of  doors  as  early  as  possible, 
but  provide  a  shelter  for  the  roosts. 

This  can  be  made  very  cheaply  by  putting  up  a 
rough  board  and  stake  frame,  as  shown  in  Figure  91, 
and  covering  it  with  tarred  paper,  tacking  a  lath  on  the 
outside,  over  each  rafter.  This  will  protect  the  chicks 
from  showers  in  the  night,  but  will  not  shut  out  any 
pure  air. 


122  POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 

Fowls  do  well  colonized  out  in  small  flocks  in 
summer.  They  need  little  more  shelter  than  a  roosting 
place  that  is  protected  from  storms  and  showers.  Fig- 
ure 92  shows  an  A  shelter  boarded  with  matched 
lumber  to  the  ground  on  one  side  and  end,  with  nests 
and  roosts  inside.  Put  the  tight  side  and  end  toward 
the  direction  of  storms.  Fowls  can  thus  be  colonized 
in  many  flocks  on  pasture  and  other  rough  land,  obviat- 
ing the  necessity  of  building  many  yards,  and  of 


FIG   92  :       COLONY    SHELTER   COO 

furnishing  all  the  feed    Fowls  on  free  range  will  get 
half  their  living  themselves. 

A  well-ventilated  coop  is  needed  for  chickens  in 
the  fall.  They  should  also  have  a  chance  to  roost,  as 
crowding  together  in  their  own  droppings  is  not 
healthful.  The  coop  shown  in  Figure  91,  at  the  right, 
fulfills  both  requirements,  and  is  very  convenient  and 
easily  made.  The  wire  netting  at  the  bottom  on  each 
side  is  six  inches  wide,  this  being  the  narrowest  width 
of  the  netting  that  is  sold. 


COOPS,    YARDS    AND    FENCES 


123 


An  Orchard  Chicken  Coop — A  coop  is  shown 
herewith  (Figure  93)  that  is  made  specially  for  use 
under  trees.  Its  pie-shaped  form  fits  it  to  he  revolved 
about  a  tree  trunk,  giving  a  succession  of  new  strips 
of  ground  for  the  chickens  to  scratch  in,  and  an  equal 
fertilizing  of  the  soil  all  about  the  tree. 

To  Fatten  Quickly — For  a  few  fowls  a  simple 
portable  coop  may  be  used.  The  pen  is  kept  dark 
except  when  the  fowls  are  eating.  A'fattening  coop 
used  for  single  birds  is  shown  in  Figure  94. 


FIG    93  :       ORCHARD    COOP 

When  Sitters  Are  to  Be  Broken  up  the  coops 
should  be  cool  and  airy  and  supplied  with  food  and 
water.  A  coop  of  the  kind  shown  in  Figure  95  is  all 
that  is  needed.  The  slats  are  of  old  fence  pickets,  and 
the  structure  is  stout  and  durable. 

At  the  right  of  Figure  95  is  shown  a  plan  for  a 
special  coop  for  sitters  with  eggs.  The  house  has  A- 
shaped  roof  with  coating  of  tar.  There  are  two  rows 
of  nests  inside,  with  a  walk  between.  Feed,  water  and 


I24 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


grit  should  be  kept  inside.  After  the  first  few  days 
the  hens  will  find  their  own  nests  after  coming"  off,  but 
the  safer  plan  is  to  remove  them  all  at  a  regular  time 


FIG  94:        FATTENING  BOXES 

daily,  and  visit  the  coop  awhile  later  to  see  that  all 
is  well. 

Shipping    and    Show    Coops — Expressmen    have 
found  much  fault  in  the  wav  fowls  were  occasionally 


FIG  95  I      COOPS  FOR  SITTING  HENS 

prepared  for  shipment  and  the  result  was  double  first- 
class  charges  used  to  be  made  on  poultry.  As  this 
seemed  an  injustice  poultrymen  and  expressmen  came 
together  and  decided  on  what  should  constitute  a 


COOPS,    YARDS    AND    FENCES 


125 


proper  coop  in  consideration  of  single  nrst-class  mer- 
chandise rates  instead  of  double.  This  conference 
resulted  in  the  adoption  of  a  "one  rate"  price  instead 
of  a  "double  rate."  Also  that  coops  must  be  strong 
and  slatted  and  not  injured  by  other  packages  being 


FIG  96:       SHIPPING   AND   EXHIBITION    COOPS 

piled  on  them.  If  the  coop  is  sufficiently  strong,  ex- 
pressmen have  no  objection  to  coops  being  lined  inside 
with  cloth  to  protect  birds  from  a  draft.  The  coop 
illustrated  in  Figure  96  is  four  feet  long,  two  feet  wide 
and  twenty  inches  high,  made  entirely  of  laths,  except- 


fv 


FIG  97  :   YARDS  FOR  THREE  FLOCKS 

ing  the  bottom  and  the  boards  around  the  base,  which 
are  four  inches  wide,  of  bottom  box  stuff.  The  laths 
on  the  sides  are  securely  nailed  to  posts  which  are  of 
inch-square  spruce.  Such  a  coop  will  carry  any 
amount  of  merchandise  piled  on  top  of  it,  as  much  so 
as  though  it  was  a  box. 


T26 


POULTRY  ARCHITECT U RE 


Before  fowls  are  sent  to  the  show  room  they 
should  receive  a  course  of  training,  to  accustom  them 
to  confinement,  handling  and  a  crowd  of  visitors. 
Unless  this  is  done  they  will  not  show  at  their  best  and 
fail  to  make  the  impression  on  the  judge  and  visitors 
of  more  upstanding,  bolder  birds.  Confine  them  in 
coops,  similar  to  the  one  shown  in  Figure  92,  for  two 
weeks  prior  to  the  exhibition  and  handle  each  one  daily. 

Yard  for  Three  or  Four  Flocks — Two  good  plans 
are  shown  in  Figure  97.  The  first  calls  for  a  house 


YARD 


YARD 


HOUSf 


YARD 


YARD 


FIG  98  I      YARDS  FOR  TWO  OR  FOUR  FLOCKS 

twenty  by  thirty  feet  for  one  hundred  fowls  or  less. 
The  hallway  takes  but  little  room  out  of  the  interior, 
and  yet  it  communicates  with  all  three  pens.  The 
inside  divisions  are  of  wire  netting,  allowing  the  sun- 
shine that  enters  at  one  side  of  the  house  to  fall  into 
all  the  pens ;  but  the  house  should  be  so  located  that 
three  sides  may  receive  morning,  noon  and  afternoon 
sun.  The  same  plan  is  followed  for  dividing  the  yard 
outside  as  for  dividing  the  space  inside  the  house. 
This  gives  a  large  amount  of  y?rd  space,  with  the 
yards  conveniently  located.  This  building  is 


COOi'S,    YARDS    AND    FENCES  1 27 

all  over  the  outside,  with  the  heaviest  building  paper 
under  the  shingles,  and  may  either  be  sheathed  or 
lathed  and  plastered  inside. 

The  second  plan  comprises  a  three-pen,  shed- 
roofed  house  with  three  yards  of  the  usual  size  and  a 
large  yard  that  can  be  used  for  one  pen  of  fowls  on  one 
day  and  for  another  the  next  day.  This  "common" 
yard  may  be  an  old  pasture  or  field  that  need  not  be 
fenced  except  near  the  poultry  house.  With  such  a 
run  into  which  to  turn  the  fowls  on  alternate  days, 
almost  the  same  results  may  be  obtained  as  when  free 
range  can  be  had  and  at  much  less  expense  for  fencing 
than  when  very  large  yards  are  provided  for  each  pen. 


FIG  99  :       MOVABLE  POULTRY  YARD 

Figure  98  shows  a  plan  for  four  flocks  with  house 
in  center,  or  for  two  flocks  with  alternate  yards,  allow- 
ing one  yard  to  be  plowed  and  sowed  to  green  crops. 
The  latter  is  a  good  plan  for  breeding  flocks  kept  on 
limited  range. 

Movable  Yards — The  section  abed  (Figure 
99),  is  of  light  boards,  covered  with  poultry  netting. 
To  bottom  board,  c  d,  are  fastened  three  heavy  planks 
or  supports,  e  f  g,  meeting  the  board  at  right  angles. 
These  hold  the  structure  upright,  and  four  similar 
pieces  hooked  together  make  a  convenient  poultry  yard 
which  may  be  moved  without  trouble. 

A  handy  movable  panel,  shown  in  second  half  of 
Figure  99,  is  of  two  boards  below  and  netting  above. 


128 


POULTRY  ARCHITECTURE 


It  is  neat  and  will  hold  fowls  of  any  size.     The  hooks 
shown  at  the  corners  fit  into  rings  in  the  posts. 

Making  a  Picket  Fence  Hen-Tight — On  many 
farms  the  hens  could  be  given  free  range  if  the  garden 
fence  were  a  sufficient  barrier  to  the  fowls.  The  cut 
shows  a  picket  fence  with  a  picket  extending  upward 
for  fifteen  inches  every  twelve  feet.  To  these  extended 
ends  of  the  pickets  is  stretched  a  twelve-inch  strip  of 
wire  netting,  as  shown  in  the  sketch  (Figure  100). 
In  the  prominence  of  the  pickets  the  fowls  do  not 
clearly  notice  the  netting  until  they  fly  against  it. 
After  a  few  trials  they  will  give  up  the  attempt  to  fly 


FIG  IOO:       MAKING  A  FENCE  CHICKEN  PROOF 


over.  Poultry  yard  fences  can  be  constructed  in  this 
way,  using  ordinary  pickets,  and  above  them  any 
needed  width  of  netting,  according  as  the  fowls  are 
Brahmas,  Plymouth  Rocks  or  Leghorns. 

The  ordinary  poultry  fencing  is  all  right  for 
fowls,  but  will  not  turn  chickens  until  they  reach  the 
age  of  ten  or  more  weeks.  A  simple  device  for  making 
poultry  netting  chicken-tight  is  shown  in  Figure  100. 
Two  or  three  laths  are  woven  into  the  lower  meshes,  in 
the  manner  shown,  making  a  barrier  that  small 
chickens  will  not  pass.  This  is  both  easy  of  construc- 
tion and  effective. 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Additions     83 

Barrel  coops   1 16 

Hoarding,    crosswise    3 

Box  coops    1 1 8 

Brooder  attachment 99 

box    93 

cold     9« 

house  bank    97 

combined    92 

double     91 

Oregon   99 

P>pe     94 

single    94 

Matteson's 97 

Building,   low   cost    1 1 

Business   poultry   plant    76 

Colony  house  24 

shelter  coop  125 

system  in  Rhode  Island  33 

Convenient   house    13 

Coop,  a  light  121 

A-shaped  117 

brood 1 20 

Coops,  box  118 

for  fattening  123 

for  orchard  123 

hay  sheds  114 

rat  proof 112,  114 

ten-cent 115 

with  glass  roof  no 

Cornstalk    shelter    23 

Drainage  3 

Duckhouses  106 

Early  chicks,  coop  for in 

house  for  100 

Exhibition  coops  124 

Experiments,  West  Virginia 5 

Farmers'  poultry  house  37 

Feed  house  29 

Fence,  hen  tight  127 

Fattening  coops  123 

Floor,  a  cement  3 

of  clay  56 

Foundation,  a  post  2 

stone  2 

France,  G.  R.,  house  of n 

Glass  in  houses  6 

Heating  pipes  93 

Hennery,  handy  16 

Home,  a  practical  poultry 80 


PAGE 

House,  a  business   25 

a  Kansas    60 

a  Maine 58 

a    Nebraska     6_> 

a    ten-dollar     19 

cheap   and  labor-saving    14 

convenient     i 

cost  of  per  fowl    8 

economical,    small    22 

for    cold    storage     101 

for   ducks    106 

for  mild  climate    10 

for  one  hundred  fowls 49 

for   thirty    fowls    20 

for  turkeys    1 04 

farmers'    poultry    3, 

good   winter 53 

in   bank    wall    68 

in  sand  bank    63 

light    56 

L-shaped     51 

model    78 

movable    45 

octagon     51 

of    sods    59 

poultry  and  pieeon 108 

prize,   Grundy's    35 

protected  for  winter    9=; 

removable    40 

Rhode   Island  colony    3-' 

satisfactory    54 

situation  of 3 

warm    68 

well  made    70 

windproof    65 

with  cloth   run    50 

with  scratching  shed 21 

Houses,  effect  of  heating 5 

northern    colony     30 

Ice  room    102 

Incubator    house    90 

Mrs  Fairbanks's 91 

room    banked    90 

Layers,  house  for   18 

Lean-to   for   poultry    84 

Location  of  poultry  plant    2 

Log    house    66 

6 
6 


Material,  preserving 
second  hand    


Nest  boxes    

Notes    for  builders 


130 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Octagon    house    51 

Pigeon  lofts    107 

Pollard's  poultry   house    76 

Poultry  plant,  plan  of   89 

Rhode  Island  colony  house 32 

Roof,   hning   for    6 

Roosts   7,  75 

movable    55 

warm     5 

Run,  cool  for  chicks 113 

for  winter   86 

Runway  to  second  story    82 

Sand    house    67 

Sash  with  double  glass    7 

Second  story  room    82 

Scratching  pen   83 

shed    21 

sheds   protected    87 

Shelter,   cornstalk    23 

summer  and  fall   121 

sunny    84 


Shipping  coops  124 

Site  for  poultry  buildings  2 

Slope  for  poultry  plant 2 

Sod  houses  59 

to  lay  62 

Soil  for  poultry  plant  i 

Stoddard's  poultry  house  25 

Tank  and  incubator  house 92 

Troughs  and  fountains  .  .„ 8 

Turkey  houses  104 

Ventilator  56 

Wall,  a  warm 4 

Water  supply  92 

Windows,  double 

removable  6 

Winter  protection  85 

Yard  for  three  flocks  125 

Yards,  movable  127 

for  two  or  four  flocks 126 


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Ginseng,  Its  Cultivation,  Harvesting,  Market- 
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28 


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' 


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'1629 


174622 


